Devour: A Story of Cannibal Mermaids
by Starling Sinclair
Summary: A great mystery surrounds the Immortal found in a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. Will the Oceanids of Princess Serenity's court come to their senses in time, or will a great hunger devour them? This is a mermaid AU and dark comedy, with amazing art and music from Smoking Bomber. Entry for the 2019 Senshi/Shitennou Reverse Mini Bang
1. The Petrified Shipwreck

**AN: **Well, this has been a beast of a project.

Hello all! I'm back from the dead, and here to bring you this magnificent entry to the 2019 Senshi/Shitennou Reverse Mini-bang! I am partnered with the amazing Smoking Bomber, **who did all these fabulous art pieces you'll see if you read this over on AO3**, where I can embed images, as well as she made this amazing playlist: soundcloud dot com /jadziatrax/sets/devour-soundtrack

Also, coming soon, I'm adapting this into a Podfic! And, I'm doing it all Graphic Audio style with vocal contributions from myself, SB, and a friend of mine who narrates audiobooks. Mix that up with SB's soundtrack and all the sfx libraries my husband has for his work (he's an Assistant Editor for movies), and there's something pretty amazing on the horizon. I should have that together sometime this month, so if you'd like to pause reading this and wait for the audio, I'd say that's probably a good idea.

If you follow me because of Sailor Moon X, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in two months. Unfortunately, I had a death in the family that turned my world upside down, and with Devour's deadline looming, I had to put X on the backburner. However, since this project is for all intents and purposes completed, expect a Sailor Moon X update sometime in mid-November.

This is SM fanfiction like you've never seen before. It's wonderfully strange if I do say so myself. So strap in, and enjoy the ride.

XXX

_Devour: A Story of Cannibal Mermaids_

By Starling Sinclair and Smoking Bomber

11/6/2019

Chapter 1: The Petrified Shipwreck

The shipwreck was ancient. Its wood had petrified, leaving the whole find immaculately preserved, though covered in sand and sludge. The boat had influences of trireme but was something unique. Whatever civilization had created it had been lost even to history books - or perhaps it had been so common that history hadn't bothered to record it.

Hidden in an uninhabitable part of the sea, Zoisite had found it while exploring the aftermath of some, small seismic activity. After all, he was Atlantis's greatest treasure hunter, and a ship like that was certain to contain treasure.

Oxygen levels were so low there that not even bacteria thrived. This meant that the wreck would be in remarkable shape, but dangerous to explore. It was like a night sky blanketed in clouds, devoid of stars and suffocating. Even though his Meduzoa heritage meant that he could survive in anoxic conditions, only a fool would explore without proper precautions.

So he'd pitched the intrigue to Mercury, the smartest and arguably the most beautiful Oceanid of Princess Serenity's court. This way, he could catch two crabs with one trap - instant appraisal of any potential treasure and impressing the girl. Plus, she'd created small pockets of oxygenated water that attach to their gills, making sure they would have more time to make terrible decisions.

"Stay close to me," Mercury instructed, her blue fins fluttering around her like silk veils.

"Are you going to keep me safe?"

"I need you to see."

Ah yes, Zoisite's real purpose: to provide light with his bioluminescence. Well, he could use that to swim a little closer than needed, couldn't he?

They reached the bow of the ship, and Mercury caressed it like a lover. Silt floated away like dust caught in slow motion. She grabbed Zoisite's hand and positioned it, using it as a lantern to better observe details.

"It's quite remarkable," she pontificated. "Given the nature of the region, a preserved find isn't uncommon, but petrified…"

"What's wrong with petrified?"

"Petrification takes hundreds of thousands of years, but this vessel can't be older than a few millennia," she explained.

"So what would cause it to petrify?"

She smiled at him. "Now _that_ is a question worth exploring."

With that, she dropped Zoisite's hand and swam towards the small pilot's cabin of the ship and the looming darkness. He considered calling out to her, telling her there was safety in numbers and with light. But with an environment this pernicious, what could possibly be lurking in the darkness other than relics and bone?

Then he heard a scream.

Being a jellyfish Oceanid came with a distinct disadvantage in speed. He had an awkward human shape beneath a glowing bell with tentacles that fluttered about him like ribbons. Without fins, he didn't so much swim as blob. Blobbing was not quick. Even just crossing the deck of the ship took too long.

Her screaming did not diminish or end. He wasn't sure if he should be thankful for that or frightened because of it. His radius of light inched closer and closer to the ship's cabin, finally exposing a blue hand reaching out for him. Her blue fins knocked up sediment, creating a hazy cloud. Mercury's face came into view with an expression of terror; her body strained against something gripping her wrist. Finally, what was trapping her came into view - a human male's hand gripping tight.

What he lacked in speed, he made up for with hundreds of stinging tendrils controlled with precision. He lashed out at the hand with a battle cry.

The hand let go.

Mercury lurched forward, slamming into Zoisite. He wrapped his arms around her as they slowed.

"What the fuck was that?" he demanded as he checked over her arms and shoulders, making sure she was unharmed.

Her eyes sparkled, terror having vanished. "Something very much alive," she answered with glee.

Just beyond the reach of the hand, they looked into the cabin. Zoisite's glow created an ominous chiaroscuro. Inside was a man, tan-skinned, with longish hair floating around his head like an ebony plume. He was naked save for a golden rope wrapped around his other wrist, and he looked at his injured hand with the blankest expression Zoisite had ever seen. It was as if the human couldn't possibly imagine having been hurt, or even feeling anything at all.

Zoisite opened his mouth, but words failed to come out. He finally managed to stammer, "_How?_"

Mercury swam forward. "I'm most curious to know too. How is he alive? How long has he been here, and _why_? Does he understand us?" As she spoke, she floated around in a circle, observing from many angles.

The human continued to stare at his hand. He was so still that Zoisite almost believed he'd become a statue.

"Be careful," Zoisite cautioned.

"I wish I had brought more equipment with me," Mercury said, flitting around like a bird wrasse. "He's almost certainly an immortal. But what _kind?"_

Zoisite shrugged. If the impossible man was an immortal, the jellyfish man could think of a few other Oceanids he could sell the man to. After all, Immortals were a delicacy, and it had been nearly three hundred years since one had been seen last. Maybe this trip wouldn't be a bust after all.

Remembering his hunt for treasure, Zoisite decided to float down to the galley and its bank of oars. Somewhere there had to be a cargo hold. Where there was cargo, there would be treasure. An immortal's ship should have something miraculous, or at the very least valuable.

"Where are you going?" Mercury cried as he drifted down, stealing her source of light.

He didn't answer. She followed after a moment, hesitant to be left in the dark with the strange, immortal creature. Below deck, skeletons were crumpled at their stations - poor souls martyred to a captain who had not only failed to save them but was still alive. Behind the benches, directly below the cabin above, was an interior room.

Déjà vu spilled into Zoisite's veins, sending chills to his soul. The archway was engraved with large letters of a language he almost recognized, and he knew that it had been painted blue once. An apotropaic eye was emblazoned in the center of the doorway between two enormous sliding bolt locks. The bottom lock had collapsed; the petrified timber rested askew against the door.

His lip curled into a smirk. There was treasure to be had after all.

He drifted over and grabbed the fallen beam, trying to move it away. It was heavier than it looked.

"It's as if it petrified after falling," Mercury said, having drifted closer to him, her voice in his ear. "How peculiar…"

Zoisite rolled his eyes. Yes, this was all quite curious, but most curious of all was what lay behind this door. It had to be important if it were this guarded. He grunted with effort as he pushed the stone beam.

Mercury shook her head before flicking her wrist. A surge of water lifted the beam and every particle of dust up and away from the door. i_Now/i_ she decided to use her Guardian powers? He brushed the stirred particles around his head aside like cobwebs. Onto the lock.

His hand touched the bronze deadlatch. He knew it needed to be depressed just a touch to slip through the groove, then just a push of the latch to unlock the door. Of course, that would have been true if the beam weren't stone. He deliberately didn't think about _how_ he knew all this.

"Some help here, Blue?"

The water around his fingers pushed against the beam, sliding it with an audible thud into its unlocked position. Apprehension suddenly gripped him, but that was irrational. Wasn't it? So he shrugged it away. There was a treasure to be had, after all.

He pushed the door open just a crack.

The door swung open. Something dark, cold, and evil rushed over them, swallowing Zoisite's light and knocking Mercury against the hull. Terror gripped him. It flowed like a river of malevolence breaking through a damn.

Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone.

Zoisite hyperventilated. His nerves tingled. Mercury flattened against the hull amongst some bones, pressed her hand to her heart. Once she caught her breath, she swam towards the stairs and looked up.

"Another mystery," she said. Excitement laced her voice.

Zoisite shook himself off. It must have been a strange pressure drop or a current. The hull slowly lit again as his bioluminescence returned. His heart beat rapidly in his chest as he stared at the wide-open door.

Steeling himself, he went in.

The cargo hold was disappointing: more bones, broken pottery, and an anchor.

Mercury looked over his shoulder and asked, "Did it live up to expectations?"

He scowled. Where was the gold? The jewels? The relics of antiquity? The bones of a dangerous prisoner! Or at least the remnants of food and water. He'd settle for some ancient wine at this point.

Mercury pushed past, swimming inside to inspect each nook and cranny.

"This isn't a cargo ship," she said. "So besides some fundamental necessities, there shouldn't be much on board. So I'm not sure what you were expecting. Oh hello, what's this?"

Examining her find, she hovered near the anchor. She beckoned, and Zoisite bobbed closer, lending more light. A golden rope was taut between the ceiling and the anchor. His light accentuated the shimmer that ran up and down the twined material. It wasn't tied. The anchor had either fallen or been moved atop the coil. She tugged on the rope, but there wasn't much give to it.

"There is something about this rope," she concluded. "Zoisite, help me move this anchor."

"Why?"

"So I can get a sample," she explained.

"Of a rope?"

"A rope that's clearly enchanted," she retorted. "It might very well be the treasure you were looking for."

Now she was speaking his language. He moved toward her. Bracing himself against the deck and pulling with Mercury, the two of them managed to topple the anchor, releasing the rope beneath it.

With the rope freed, Mercury grabbed his hand for a lantern again. She was right; something was i_nteresting_ about the rope. It had an iridescent quality to it, as though it were made of long strings of golden fire opal. However, they didn't get a chance to remove a sample before something started pulling the rope away.

Their eyes trailed up to the small hole in the ceiling where the rope was quickly disappearing.

Mercury gasped as she realized what was happening.

"The immortal," she whispered. Yanking Zoisite's hand, she pulled him above deck. There was no time for his slow blobbing.

They could see the silhouette of the immortal swimming toward the surface, rope trailing behind him. Zoisite realized why the rope had seemed familiar - it'd been tied to the creature's wrist. The man was moving fast, and the rope was slipping by them. Without hesitation, they grabbed the cord together and pulled.

The immortal was stronger. Instead of them stopping him, he was pulling them upward.

"We can't let him get away," Zoisite cried. If the immortal got away with the rope, then the jellyfish man would be returning empty-handed. That wouldn't do. Try as they might, their combined strength wasn't enough to even slow him.

"This isn't working," she grumbled and let go.

Mercury was beautiful and brilliant, and some tended to underestimate how deadly the Guardian of Water was. Most only witnessed her charming parlor trick of dancing bubbles, so it was easy to forget how powerful manipulating currents could be. She channeled her Guardian powers, and the sea itself pushed back against the immortal.

"This won't be enough," she groaned with exertion, glancing over her shoulder at Zoisite. "Go catch him!"

"You've seen how fast I swim."

She rolled her eyes and waved a hand, splitting her effort. A jet of water pushed him upwards. He billowed out some, like a sail, to maximize the speed of the torrent.

What had given him an edge in the darkness gave him away in the attack. The immortal was fierce and clever, and understood he was being besieged on two sides. He lashed out at Zoisite as soon as the Oceanid was in range. Thankfully, Zoisite was not a bony fish. The blow hurt, but his soft jellyfish nature absorbed most of the attack. The immortal's eyes widened as he realized his tactical error. His fist pillowed into Zoisite's bell, and the momentum sent the Oceanid backward, turning tendrils to stinging whips.

Even an immortal would have trouble with hundreds of box jelly stingers.

Mercury's barrage pushed the immortal fully into Zoisite as Zoisite's poison overwhelmed the man's nervous system. They floated back down toward the sand. The jellyfish Oceanid detangled himself, and Mercury swam toward them, her hands tracing the length of the rope as she went. Once they'd found equilibrium, Zoisite took a moment to really look at the immortal stranger.

He was handsome in regal way; his skin was a light brown, golden tone making it look sunkissed. Strange for a being trapped in the darkness of the ocean for millennia. He looked young, seeming no older than a human who'd seen twenty summers. There was something hauntingly familiar about him. Compulsively, Zoisite touched the immortal's cheek.

Mercury fiddled with the rope around his wrist. "There's no distinctive or complicated knotwork," she said. "Why did he leave it wrapped around his wrist?"

"What does it matter? It'll just help us when transporting him. What market do you think he'll fetch a higher price? Atlantis or Avalon?"

"Before we can sell him, we need to figure out who he is," Mercury said, grabbing her fellow Oceanid's wrist. "And I think I know just the fish to talk to."

XXX

The Darkness flexed its figurative wings. Nearly three thousand years trapped, only to be released by greed. It smiled. It had spent centuries pondering just what it would do once it was free, but now, finding itself with that freedom, it no longer knew what to do. Yet, it was a patient creature. As long as that damnable prince did not find the Keeper of the Silver Light, everything would be glorious.

In the meantime it could gather its strength. It just needed a vessel.


	2. Dreams

_Devour: A Story of Cannibal Mermaids_

By Starling Sinclair and Smoking Bomber

11/7/2019

Chapter 2: Dreams

Kunzite drifted into the Sunken Temple. Algae-covered columns with Doric capitals held a crumbling pediment. With its roof long gone, sunlight beamed in, casting a caustic network across the floor. Schools of Anthias zipped around like a flamboyance of tiny flamingos. This was a favorite haunt of the warrior Lady Mars, the oracle of Princess Serenity's court. He could see why she favored this place; there was something ethereal here.

He'd had unsettling dreams. Dreams that felt too real. Dreams he couldn't determine if they were visions of a past or a future. He needed some... advice that only an Oceanid of a mystic nature could provide.

Mars was folded into herself in meditation on the bottom step before a headless statue. Luscious violet and red fins were draped over the pedestal where she sat, her purple hair floating around her like cobra's hood. The statue behind her was of a woman in robes, carrying a book in one hand and a spear in the other. Perhaps Mars found a kindred spirit amongst the stone.

Nearby, looking especially bored was her chosen partner, a Harlequin Shrimp Oceanid named Jadeite. It was a match that made no sense to the Fishman, yet, he respected it nonetheless. The Shrimpman watched Kunzite's approach curiously.

"Lady Mars," Kunzite greeted.

Slowly, her eyes opened. Upon seeing him, she smiled softly. "Kunzite, what brings you here?"

He scowled before continuing. Did she really need him to say it? "I need your help."

Her eyebrow quirked, and she gestured for him to continue with her hand.

Fidgeting, he grumbled, "I think I'm having visions."

She tilted her head, intrigued. "Visions you say? What are these visions telling you?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't need your help."

She held up her hands defensively. "I mean no insult. How do these visions come to you?"

"In my dreams," he answered.

She nodded sagely. "Then, let's go to work."

She instructed him to lay on a worn marble slab, a remnant of an alter he supposed. Over him, she hummed. The water around him started to warm, barely perceptible. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to slip away.

"Tell me what you see."

"I see…"

Kunzite was in the world of his dreams. He was on a boat, ancient, with twenty-five oars dipping into the sea. Wind and salt bit into his exposed skin. Long white hair blew into his eyes, and he brushed it away. There was a storm, and it was unexpected. Grey skies and turbulent water, the boat rocked, and he gripped the railing. Dread filled his chest, and he looked at the floorboards beneath his feet. There was something below deck.

A hand touched him, and he looked up to see a man with ebony hair and ocean blue eyes. Kunzite knew this man. Knew he called him brother, and that the man was a prince.

"A human."

The prince was talking to him in a forgotten language. Kunzite didn't consciously understand what was being said, but he knew what it meant. The storm was getting worse, and the boat was likely to capsize. The man was asking, no- _begging_ him to flee.

Another voice beside him piped up, and he turned to see a familiar face. Blonde hair, blue eyes, an annoying smirk - Jadeite.

"I don't think this is working," Kunzite grumbled, the vision in his head slipping like a wave washing over a beach. The chill of the air was replaced by the comforting pressure of the sea, the rickety wooden boat with algae-covered pillars. He wasn't human; he was a six hundred-year-old Fringehead Oceanid. He was stronger, older, and more powerful. Humans were nothing but a delicacy to feast on.

"Why not?" Mars asked.

Kunzite sat up and focused his glare to the Shrimp Oceanid across the room. "Because he was there!"

Jadeite sucked in a sea star's leg dangling out of his mouth like a noodle. He looked between Kunzite and Mars, then shrugged innocently.

Kunzite rolled off the slab. He flexed his umber-colored fins and stretched his impressive jaw with an audible crack. He was too old for this shit. Too old to deal with strange little pink spotted Shrimpmen whose favorite food was inedible to any Oceanid with half a palate. Too old to believe that dreams were anything but subconscious thoughts. Too old to just ignore the sense of foreboding in his gut.

Mars pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kunzite," she started.

"Maybe I'll try Nephrite," he interrupted. "I appreciate your help, but I don't believe this is helping."

Mars huffed. "Nephrite's obsession with stars doesn't make him any better than me."

That was probably true, but he did immensely prefer the quiet and calm company of the Octopus Oceanid. He had just not felt like traveling to the Reef to find him.

"Kunzite! Look out!" Jadeite cried.

He was so focused on getting away, away from these other Oceanids and away from these dreams, that he plowed right into Zoisite. It was like a clash of anemones, soft but stingy. The impact dislodged whatever the Jellyfish Oceanid had been carrying. On reflex, the Fishman grabbed it.

"Kunzite!" Zoisite greeted. "Just the fish we were looking for. We need your help."

Kunzite refrained from rolling his eyes. He did have a soft spot of the Jellyfish Oceanid, being one of the few merfolk he could tolerate. Nephrite and Venus were also among the small set. Yet, he was in no mood to socialize.

He didn't answer. Instead, he took stock of what he'd grabbed and nearly dropped it again. He was holding a human. Gently, Kunzite brushed the creature's long, black hair away. Red welts covered the tan flesh, but the man was unmistakable. This was the face that haunted his dreams. The human prince. Time stood still.

Mercury said, "He's an immortal."

Kunzite looked up; he'd forgotten the others' existence. Zoisite held his hands out, waiting for the Fishman to return the prize. Kunzite held fast, and his attention drifted to the blue Betta Oceanid. Mercury, another of Serenity's Court, looked at the man with delight. The likes of an immortal hadn't been heard of in centuries. Many immortals knew it best to stay away from the seas, or at least keep their toes out of the water. They were a most prized delicacy for Oceanids.

"We were headed to Atlantis, but we saw you," Mercury started.

Zoisite finished, "We were hoping you might be able to help identify who he is."

While prized, not every immortal fool that fell into the ocean was fair game as food. Until the godly patronage was determined and the danger of divine wrath assessed, the meal existed as eye candy only. Though, as food or favor, the Immortal would fetch a fine price, be it from a parent or a hungry Oceanid.

"You should be taking him to the palace," Mars commented. "Let the Queen and Princess decide what to do with him."

"Where did you find him?" Kunzite asked.

"From what I can tell," Mercury answered, "He's been tethered to a shipwreck in the Northern Black Sea."

Kunzite's brow furrowed. "He looks so fresh. Yet, nothing has sailed in that region for millennia."

"Precisely," Mercury continued. "There were some most curious things about the whole wreck."

Kunzite's brain hurt. He had been so sure, just a heartbeat ago, that his dreams were nothing more than an overwrought imagination. Yet, looking at an unconscious being that had been ripped from his memories, he knew that wasn't true. Whatever visions had been haunting him, he needed to understand them and quickly.

"What's this?" Jadeite asked, holding the end of a golden rope.

"One of the many oddities," Mercury said, grabbing the limp wrist of the humanoid to showcase that the rope was poorly tied. "I suspect it bound him to the ship. The other end was trapped beneath an anchor."

Something prickled at the back of Kunzite's skull as he stared at the glowing rope. A secret knowledge that he could almost recall. Something about light to bind the darkness. Something forged by the unity of several kingdoms. Yet, the answer slipped through his grasp like grains of sand.

"That's not much of a knot," Mars commented. "Why didn't he just slip it and escape?"

Because it was impossible. How did Kunzite know that?

Zoisite shook his head. "It is a magic rope, and it's mine. I called dibs."

"I was hoping that you might know some legend, either about a lost ship in the Black Sea or a magical rope from approximately three thousand years ago," Mercury continued, her question directed to the eldest Oceanid.

Kunzite snapped his eyes away from the relic. Like the beam of a lighthouse cutting through a fog, the reality of a destiny crystallized before him. He answered gruffly. "I know..."

Whatever he was going to say was lost as the Immortal opened his eyes.

Eyes, blue as a tang and wild as a typhoon, stared through Kunzite. The human lashed out. He was slippery as an eel and the Fishman lost his grip. Mercury moved away while Mars moved in. He reached for the flailing human only to be decked in the maw.

The Fringehead Oceanid didn't have a chance to retaliate as Jadeite yanked on the rope pulling the Immortal away. Quickly, the Shirmpman stabbed the immortal with his needles, injecting his paralyzing poison into the man's neck. The human went limp in Jadeite's arms, eyes opened wide with wild fury. Jadeite smirked at the others.

"Well, now that he's awake, why don't we just ask _him_?"

Kunzite rubbed his jaw. The others drifted closer, leaning in from all directions like the spines of an urchin. Jadeite shuffled the Immortal in his arms, sliding one arm under the human's, crossing it across the chest and gripping the opposite shoulder like a modified chokehold. Venom needle still exposed from his wrist, Jadeite held his other hand to the human's neck, poised to strike again if needed.

The human's eyes darted around like a tuna. Kunzite wondered if the Immoral was even breathing. Either way, the human was stronger than the Fishman would have given him credit for.

"Who are you?" Kunzite asked, rubbing his jaw.

The immortal just stared.

"He probably can't even speak," Mercury observed. "Unlike us, his vocal mechanism is meant for air, not water. Here, let's see if this works."

Mercury rolled her hands, forming a little magical air bubble. She pressed the bubble to the immortal's mouth, where it made a pocket like a Diving Bell Spider's apparatus. The Immortal's eyes widened as he took his first breath in centuries. Then he vomited the centuries of water that filled his lungs.

Grimacing with disgust, Jadeite tipped the Immortal away, and Mercury worked her magic so that the air pocket would remain. After some time, the immortal seemed to have cleared his lungs. He panted like a dog.

"The magic should continue to remove dissolved oxygen from the nearby water and supply him with the ability to talk," she explained as her fingers elegantly twisted and manipulated the bubble, so it no longer looked like some strange balloon around his head.

Kunzite probed him again, "Who are you?"

The immortal stared back, uncomprehending. This was logical since the human clearly didn't speak Oceanid.

"So, who has the best mastery of languages?" Jadeite asked. "It's certainly not me."

Mars surprised everyone when she pointed to herself and said, "Mars." Then she pointed to each Oceanid in turn, naming them, before pointing at the immortal. She repeated the introductions a few times, in various orders, pausing at the end to allow the human to speak. The Immortal stared at her before something croaked out of his mouth. It sounded like the creaking of metal bending and wrapping under the pressure of the ocean. He tried a few times, then went quiet.

Mars pointed to herself again and said, "Mars." Then she pointed at him.

"En...dy...mion."

Like an anchor settling in his heart, Kunzite felt the weight of the name. It had been a whisper in his ear that he hadn't been able to make out until that moment. The face in his dreams had a name, and that made everything one thousand times more real.

"So, I'm going to assume that didn't solve anything," Zoisite said.

Mercury tapped her chin. "Perhaps there's some record of an Endymion in Atlantis."

"Nephrite." Kunzite surprised himself with his own outburst. Yet, he felt sure that the Octopus Oceanid would be able to connect the Immortal in some vital way. Perhaps he could do what Mars failed to, and interpret Kunzite's visions.

"And how can that weird tentacle porn help?" Mars retorted.

Kunzite thought over his next words carefully. Yet as he opened his mouth, it was Jadeite spoke out. "I can't explain why, but I also think that's a good idea."

Mars's face was unreadable. Jadeite rarely talked about his own intuition. After all, the Shrimp wasn't always the most perspective fish in the sea.

"It's not a bad suggestion," Zoisite chimed in. "Stars and sailors go hand in hand. And since Nephrite speaks star, maybe he can help us figure out who this Immortal is and how much he's worth. And if we don't find any answers, it's on the way to Atlantis!"

Mars scowled. "Fine," she said. "But if Nephrite isn't able to help, we bring the human to the palace, not Atlantis. He should belong to the Princess."

"I'm fine, as long as she pays," Zoisite said with a wink.

XXX

The Darkness wasted no time, slinking through the waters, observing the lay of this world. Thousands of years had greatly weakened it. Its vessel would need to have some power, but not be strong enough to resist.

It crept beside the coral until its eyes found _something_. Half man, half creature, all power. It quirked its head. There was something familiar about this beast. The edges of what could be considered a mouth twitched into a smile. Yes, this would do quite nicely.


	3. The Stars Are Malign

Nephrite plucked the small, bright red sea star from between two corals. It curled around his fingers, tiny tube feet tickling him as it did so. He supposed this small specimen would have to work. Adding it to the nearly full container he carried, perhaps now he had enough.

In the dying patch of coral reef, he had recreated the night sky of his dreams with shells and sea stars. He'd need more stars to complete the project, and then he could perhaps divine what his visions meant. A vision of a boat and a storm and a mission to save the world. Others didn't quite understand his fascination with the heavens. Perhaps he didn't either on some level. It was as if some piece of his soul called out for salty sea breeze and the stars on his face as he sailed the oceans.

Eager to put his skills to use, he hurried back to his grotto.

Once there, he set to work restoring his stars. A living skyscape required creative thinking and a steady supply of sedentary food for his models. Delicately, he placed his starfish over a small jut of coral.

"You'll never be able to truly picture the heavens this way," a voice said. As it spoke, darkness flowed between the sea stars like the foam of a wave crashing against the shore.

Nephrite pulled back as if the shadows were toxic, as if they had stung him. He was a large Oceanid, infused with the spirit of the clever and strong octopus. Few dared to bother him in his territory; few were strong enough to challenge or frighten him. Yet, this darkness creeping in chilled him to his soul. As shadows settled across the ceiling, he was loathe to admit that it did make his diorama more like the night sky.

Turning around, he saw the shadow of a woman hovering in his doorway. She was darker than the night, as if squid ink had spilled out in a vaguely humanoid shape. With glowing green eyes and a red cross where a forehead might be, her mouth was visible only when she spoke.

"Do I frighten you?" she said.

He didn't answer. To admit one way or the other was sure to have consequences. The glowing eyes creased, entertained.

"Perhaps you'd be less fearful of a more familiar form."

With that, the darkness shifted into something resembling an Oceanid. Her eyes still glowed eerily, and the cross on her forehead became the glowing esca of an anglerfish. Her skin was grey with red scales, and the teeth in her smile were too sharp.

"What are you?"

"Something much older than you, my child," she answered. "Something that has been trapped with a tiresome Immortal for the last several millennia."

Nephrite's curiosity was piqued. Could that be what the stars of his dreams were foretelling? The coming of immortals? "Are you not an immortal?"

She glanced up to his ceiling, a smile playing on her lips. "Me? I am a god."

He narrowed his eyes. "What would a god want with me?"

Sighing, she leaned against the wall as if weakened, her esca swaying as if in a gentle current. "Your help."

Nephrite scoffed. Gods played games and caused trouble, though they rarely interfered in the daily lives of those of Earth. They didn't need _help_.

"What do you hunger for?" she said, the red bulb of her lure swaying distractingly. She drifted closer, and the walls of his grotto started to fade. A glow from above washed over him, and he looked up. The stars, real stars, were above his head. They glittered like thousands of secrets, tempting and entrancing. The night air chilled his cheeks. His blood pounded in his ears as his heart beat in anticipation.

"You hunger for answers," the stars whispered to him.

They swirled, spiraling downward like raindrops rolling off a vine. He reached out his hand to tentatively touch one. A small voice in the back of his mind observed that the stars were the same color as the "god's" eyes.

"You have a destiny, Nephrite. Are you ready?"

A hand touched his cheek, and he leaned into it. The stars were in her skin, glowing crystals, pulsing in time with his heart. The hunger slipped in, and he almost didn't notice it. For who could notice such earthly feelings when something that glowed brighter than the stars was right before him?

The light grew brighter and brighter, enveloping him, and Nephrite was lost.

XXX

Jadeite felt everyone was too invested in the Immortal. Mercury was curious; Mars was determined to present him to her princess. Zoisite just wanted the stupid rope, and the Shrimpman couldn't fathom why Kunzite decided to follow them. Jadeite reflected a moment on just how he ended up in the center of this mess. He would follow Mars to the ends of the earth, which was why he was with her at the Sunken Temple when Kunzite appeared. The Shrimpman figured he would munch on starfish while he waited, not that he would be integral to the capture of an Immortal.

Of course, Jadeite bore the brunt of the work since he was the only one capable of keeping that Immortal restrained. Slinging the human onto his back, the Shrimpman slogged through the sand. The extra weight left a series of spike-shaped footprints in the sand like a giant "follow me there's dinner" trail. On top of that, all this work was making Jadeite so hungry.

Immortals were supposed to be tasty. Could they be better than starfish?

The Shrimpman glanced around. Zoisite held the rope six or so meters away. Mercury hovered nearby, prattling on about the discovery of the shipwreck to Mars. Something about ships and weird doors with strange letters. Nonsense. No one was paying him any mind…

Slowly, Jadeite lifted the immortal's hand and did his best to use his body to conceal the action. No one would notice one missing little finger. He was so hungry after all…

"What do you think you're doing?" Kunzite's gruff voice interrupted. The large Fringehead Oceanid swam entirely too close for Jadeite's comfort.

The finger slipped out of Shrimpman's mouth as he blanched. "Nothing!"

"Perhaps I could assist for a while? Carry the burden, so to speak?" Kunzite offered.

Jadeite's swimmerets twitched. He _could_ use the help, but there would definitely be no snacking if the Fishman carried the immortal. Nephrite's reef was in sight, though. The sooner they got there, the sooner the Shrimp Oceanid could eat. He released the body to Kunzite.

"I'll swim ahead," Jadeite said. "Besides, I know where Nephrite's alcove is."

The Fishman shuffled the Immortal in his arms, trying to figure out the best way to carry the human. Jadeite smirked, knowing there was no simple solution. He slipped from view, weaving between the labyrinths that made up the Great Reef.

It was a technicolor forest. Corals bloomed like flowers of green, pink, orange, and blue. Giant lily pads of table coral mixed with reaching branches of golden elkhorn. Red and purple angelfish, like little flames, darted between large blue and yellow tangs. Feather dusters of fuchsia and amber retreated into their casings as he passed by; manta rays drifted overhead.

Nephrite's alcove was camouflaged by coral and kept his home in the shallows hidden from prying humans and passing Oceanids. Jadeite had found it while stalking dinner many months ago, much to his fellow Oceanid's dismay. Finding the entrance, he squeezed in.

"Neph? Are you home?"

Several sconces of bioluminescent algae had been cultivated around the hollow to provide light even to the darkest recesses. Jadeite glanced to the ceiling - the living replica of the night sky with various bioluminescent plankton and sea stars for important constellations. He licked his lips. Swimming to a far corner, Jedite knew that it would take weeks for Nephrite to notice one of Sagittarius's stars missing. Reaching up, he plucked the seastar from the ceiling and stuffed it in his mouth.

Mmm… chocolate chip stars...so delicious….

"Jadeite," Nephrite whispered into Oceanid's ear, "have you fucking been eating my goddamn stars again?"

Jadeite stiffened and turned around, starfish leg sticking out of his mouth. Little crumbles of stardust tumbling from his mouth like cookie crumbs.

Nephrite seemed to peel himself from a shadowy corner like a mirage manifesting. He was much larger than Jadeite. Eight legs unfurled, blending with the darkness save for the small glowing bits of bioluminescence like stars on his skin. His torso was slightly transparent, and long brown hair floated around him. His heart beat golden in his chest, arms folded across them.

"Would you have me stoop to eating urchins?" Jadeite defended.

"I don't care what you eat, as long as it's not mine," Nephrite grumbled. "Though some crown-of-thorns are forming near the edge of my reef you're welcome too."

"Ugh, the venom gives me indigestion," Jadeite grumbled.

Nephrite rolled his eyes.

"What about immortal? Have you ever eaten one?"

The Cephalopod Oceanid stilled. His eyes darkened.

"Immortal? Why do you bring up immortals?"

"Because half of Serenity's court and Kunzite are floating around out there with one, trying to divine if it's safe to eat or if it'll mean we get a lot of godly smiting."

Nephrite paused for thought, his reddish hair floating around him, blending with the skin of his human-like torso. While Nephrite's face was stoic, his heart gave him away. The organ beat furiously and brightly against his translucent skin. His star-dusted tentacles started moving him towards the entrance without a word.

"Wait!" Jadeite called. "Where are you going?"

When the Octoman didn't stop to answer, Jadeite reached up and stole a star from Scorpio. He ate it as he left.

He crawled out of the grotto. Slipping through giant red sea fans and over the cushiony green bubble coral, Jadeite found the ground with ease. Kunzite awkwardly held the Immortal, Zoisite and Mercury to one side and Mars to the other. Nephrite's attention was focused solely on the human.

Jadeite did not miss the subtle way the Octoman licked his lips.

"We were hoping you might be able to provide some answers," Kunzite said, shuffling the Immortal in his arms. "Perhaps, you might be able to translate, since sailors speak the language of the stars."

"It speaks?" Nephrite asked.

With a shrug, Zoisite answered, "Not in any way that we understand."

"We do know his name though," Mercury piped up. "Endymion."

Nephrite shuddered at the name.

"Does that mean something to you?" Mars asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I've heard it, yes. A lesser Prince of a time forgotten kingdom. No one that would be missed," the Cephalopod Oceanid answered.

"Excellent," Zoisite said. "Now, what do you know about a magic rope?"

"That doesn't make sense," Kunzite interjected. "Why would some nobody be powerful enough to survive a toxic pit for thousands of years?"

"If he were important, then his tale would be a legend," Nephrite countered. "Why look a gift horse in the mouth? We have a rare and delicious treat on our hands."

"So, I can totally call dibs on the rope, and no one will mind?" Zoisite confirmed.

"Something isn't making sense," Kunzite said. "There's more to this than just a forgotten Immortal human."

"And what makes you so sure?" Mars asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "Would this have anything to do with your visions?"

Kunzite grumbled, "Intuition."

"Well, I'm just going to be taking my rope then," Zoisite said, swimming around the immortal. As the others continued their conversation, he untied the golden rope. The knot came undone easily.

"Intuition?" Mars shot back. "The great stoic Kunzite is claiming intuition?"

"This rope was super easy to get off."

"You expect me to believe in your premonitions and other abilities, but you won't believe in my intuition?"

"May I see the rope for a moment?" Mercury asked. Zoisite handed it over.

"You are an excellent strategist, and are wise, but you came to me when you thought you were having visions," Mars argued. "Intuition is my domain. Unless you have some other information you wish to share?"

"Your wrist, Zoisite," requested Mercury politely, and he brushed aside his stingers to proffer it. With care, she tied the rope in a loose knot.

Kunzite's face twitched. Was he feeling emotion? Jadeite wished he had a few sea biscuits to nibble on while he watched the spectacle unfolding before him.

"Enough of this," Mars said, trying to grab the immortal from the Fishman, but Kunzite tightened his grip. "Jadeite! Come here! We're taking this to the Princess."

"Try to untie it."

"I'm coming with you then," Kunzite said. He tugged back on the Immortal, but the Red Ocenaid wouldn't loosen her grip. "I don't think he should be eaten until we have a clearer idea of what's happening."

"What? I can't get it off. Mercury! What did you do to me?"

Carefully, Mercury untied the knot. "I had my suspicions…It is a binding spell," she stated. "Whoever is bound by the rope cannot free themselves."

Meanwhile, Kunzite and Mars were staring at each other, enthralled in some game of tug-o-war.

"So what was the immortal doing with it?" Zoisite asked.

Mercury shrugged. "I don't know, but we should take it to Atlantis. They have the resources to uncover just what this rope is made of."

Mars lifted one hand and snapped her fingers. The sound cracked through the water like a breaking of a great ship's hull. Kunzite reeled back, losing his grip on the human. She smirked; her Guardian powers stemmed from heat, and she had sent a burst hotter than the sun at her target.

Gathering the Immortal in her arms, she called, "Jadeite, come on. We're going."

The Shrimpman glanced at Nephrite. "Are you coming?"

Nephrite licked his lips. "I'll follow behind shortly. I have some unfinished business to tend to."

"You're not leaving without me," Kunzite added.

"Fine. I don't care who comes with me, but I'm bringing this to my Princess whether you like it or not," she finished, then turned tail and started in the direction of the Silver Millennium Palace.

Jadeite looked over to see Mercury and Zoisite fading in the distance, no doubt on their way to Atlantis. With a nod, he bid his Octopus friend adieu and followed his friends to the Princess's home. A shiver ran through Jadeite's exoskeleton as he passed Nephrite, and he could have sworn that a shadow crossed the Octoman's face as he licked his lips yet again.

XXX

The Darkness wrapped her arms around her Octoman, savoring his strength as she leeched it from him. In the distance, she watched four forms fading away.

"They are taking him to the palace," he told her. "Endymion."

Her smile widened. There was no way he was leaving that palace alive. So many Oceanids to feast upon the prince's magical flesh and bone. Her stomach rumbled a little at the thought. She whispered in Nephrite's ear, "Then, once I have eaten my fill, we shall go there."


	4. Just a Taste

**AN: **Hope you're enjoying this strange tale! There is tons of art to accompany this piece, so if you haven't, go check this out on Archive of Our Own, where embedding art is allowed. Enjoy!

_Devour: A Story of Cannibal Mermaids_

By: Starling Sinclair and Smoking Bomber

Chapter 4: Just a Taste

XXX

Endymion suspected he was in hell. Monsters were lugging him around the ocean floor, naked, paralyzed, and probably with the intent to eat him. He was, however, fairly confident that this wasn't a dream.

The crimson monster, Mars, carried him purposefully by the armpits. It was particularly uncomfortable, but there wasn't much he could do about it. The bizarre Jadeite had paralyzed him somehow. So, he just worked on moving his finger, pushing through the venom. He prayed they wouldn't see it and have the creepy shrimp fellow inject him with more of it.

The brown Oceanid with the long silver hair swam beside them. That was a relief. There was something familiar about all of the monsters, but the strange Fishman's presence was almost comforting. A flicker of hope crossed his heart as he wondered if the mermaid princess he'd met all those millennia ago had kept her word.

The time he'd spent with the darkness had stretched on like an endless nightmare. It had distorted in strange ways, looping forward and backward. At first, Endymion had been able to keep some sense of its passage. He remembered the boat sinking. The screams of the oarsman who'd been trapped below deck. He remembered his pleas for his friends to escape while they could, and their oaths to stay by his side until the bitter end. Their bitter end. He remembered having tripped, and Kleidaria having wrapped around his wrist. Then blackness. The ocean had awakened him with a cold deeper and more crushing than the icy winds of mountaintops. He had strained for the surface, but the magical binding around his wrist had pulled him down with the boat and the evil it carried. He remembered reaching towards the sky, the sun disappearing behind his fingertips.

Eventually, he had drowned. He'd thought for sure he was drifting towards the afterlife when a gentle caress and the light of a most beautiful face had awakened him. As he'd stared into her silver eyes and the glowing crescent on her forehead, she had brokered a deal. She'd promised him she'd save his men, though her influence was only over the sea, much like his was the land. In return, he was to bend the earth, trap the darkness, and stand vigil. He'd upheld his piece of the bargain. Even as all sense of time and identity slipped from him, as the Darkness whispered evils in his ear, he'd fought against the evil. As the seal weakened and the ship started to collapse, he'd used the last of his power to reinforce it. He'd kept it sealed and everything safe. That was until these monsters had arrived.

His head lolled about as they moved through the water. With each blink, his surroundings shifted. Reefs gave way to sand beds. Carved stone began to peek through the bank. Minarets overgrown in twisted strands of seaweed lined a pathway to palace with onion domes sparkling with a caustic network. They veered off the path to a clearly cultivated area, a garden.

Endymion felt her before he saw her, a strange sensation as his powers had become so muted. Laying on an outcropping, she stared up into the waves, her silver fins sprawled around her like the finest silk dress. The light iridesced pink on her scales. A small golden crescent glowed on her forehead, and her eyes were the color of a sky he hadn't seen in lifetimes. His heart stirred, and from that moment, he finally felt awake.

When she noticed them approaching, she propped herself up on one arm. Her eyes met his, and the world shifted. Her head quirked to the side like a curious parrot. For an instant, he'd thought she was the beauty from all those centuries ago, but knew that wasn't right. There was something different about her. He could… _sense_ her.

"Mars? What is this?" she asked, her voice like a chime in the wind.

He watched her eyes as they examined him. She chewed her lip a little when she reached his waist.

"An Immortal, your highness," the red monster answered with a small bow of her neck.

"How exciting," the Princess said. "Where did he come from?"

"A shipwreck in the black sea," Kunzite supplied.

She folded her fins to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "How fascinating."

"I present this to you, princess," Mars said, dragging him closer. His heartbeat sped up as he approached.

"And what am I supposed to do with him?" the princess asked.

Mars shifted him awkwardly in her arm. "It is an offering."

"You're supposed to eat him," Jadeite said, the Shrimpman finally catching up with them. "I hear Immortals are delicious."

Ah, so they were planning on eating him. He could think of worst fates than being devoured by this beautiful creature though. Still, Kunzite's scowl at the prospect didn't go unnoticed.

"And what do you think of all this Sir Kunzite? Have you ever had immortal," the ethereal mermaid princess asked. "Are they delicious?"

"To eat an immortal brings with it great risk, Princess Serenity," Kunzite said. "You could risk angering gods, or more."

"So why do it?"

"The flesh brings with it a boon."

So her name was Serenity. Endymion felt himself falling, it took him a moment to realize that Mars's grip had slipped. Kunzite shifted to catch him, but Serenity swam forward, arms extended and welcoming. He was far too heavy for her, but she clutched him tight. Her electric touch felt as if she were pouring life back into him. Another set of hands that he could only assume were Kunzite's helped guide him to the ocean floor.

The sand swirled around them as she laid his head in her lap. Endymion closed his eyes, relieved as he felt the earth beneath him. He'd nearly forgotten what it was like to feel the connection to his soul, the source of his power, his _home_. His psychometry flared, and he started to better understand the world around him. It had been so long, the earth had almost forgotten him. And the darkness… he couldn't feel it.

Serenity stroked his hair from his eyes, bringing Endymion back to the moment. He had some trouble feeling the Oceanids around him, but she was different. Whatever tied them together was something he didn't need his psychometry for. Burying his fingers in the sand, he extended his power. It was obscured, but he recognized familiar life forces. The promise had been kept.

Endymion noticeably relaxed, stirring a giggle from Serenity. She poked the bubble around his mouth, her finger brushing his lips without actually touching them, and she scrunched her nose as if the texture offended her.

Leaning in, her eyes looking into his, she whispered, "Hello."

She bit her lip to try and keep from smiling. He couldn't help smiling back.

"Its name is Endymion," Mars said. "And it is not one I recognize. I suppose we should run it by the Queen before you eat it."

"Wait, you were serious about eating him?" Serenity gaped.

"You're welcome to share of course," crimson monster continued. "I mean, I wouldn't turn down its liver, or even a lung."

He could see Serenity's gills, delicate little lines on her ribcage, flare, but her face remained placid. "I see."

"And Jupiter will be quite excited. She's never prepared Immortal before," Mars continued.

"Do you think he'll taste good? Like starfish?" The creepy Shrimpman moved closer, and Endymion stilled. The last thing the human wanted was another dose of paralytic poison, especially since the effects were finally diminishing with his connection to his earth.

"Kunzite," Serenity called. "Will you help me move him to my chambers?" She correctly identified the Oceanid least likely to eat him, and for that, Endymion was grateful.

In an instant, he was swept away from his link with the earth. He wasn't sure if he visibly cringed, but he felt the loss immediately. Yet, he remained as still as possible. He couldn't reveal that he'd managed to negate the paralyzing agent, or his escape would be thwarted before it even began.

XXX

In Serenity's solar, upon the central slate formation, the Immortal lay splayed like dinner. His head was tilted to the side, his eyes locked on the Princess. She was curled into a giant clam, gaze discerning and flickering between the members of her court. Kunzite guarded the proposed meal at the head of the table while Venus and Jupiter hovered like rabid piranhas. Jadeite kept his eyes peeled for an opportunity to steal a bite since, well, with this crew, he wasn't likely to even get a table scrap.

The little room was a cozy entertainment chamber. The dome-shaped room attached to a natural cave, which provided a layer of extra protection for Serenity's private chambers. A lattice of tessellated stars and moons were cut into the marble dome, letting sunlight filter through in oscillating patterns. Various large coral formations grew in seating and perching arrangements.

"An Immortal," Jupiter said with awe. "The last time one was caught was nearly, what, five hundred years ago?"

Jupiter was imposing. She was the largest of Serenity's court, and her verdant fins had just a touch of rose that made her seem almost delicate. With the power of the Guardian of Storms, she was the muscle of the Princess's court. Plus, she was a hobbyist chef, so she'd probably eat all the best parts.

"Something like that," Venus answered as she leaned against the slate table. She was the Guardian of Love, Serenity's second in commandt. Her gold and orange-hued fins fluttered around her like a flickering flame, or, in Jadeite's opinion, a stripeless clownfish.

She trailed her finger along the length of Kunzite's arm. "They i_are/i_ very delicious. Don't you agree, Kunzite?"

The Fishman's eyes bounced between the orange Oceanid and the Immortal on the table, and Jadeite figured he was probably wondering which one was more delectable. Kunzite did not reply.

"You've eaten one before?" Serenity asked head cocked, focused on the power couple.

"I was very young," Venus answered. "My mother wanted to ensure my place among your court."

Serenity furrowed her brow, puzzled. "But I wasn't even hatched yet."

"No, but you were a strong twinkle in your mother's eye," Venus said with a wink. Serenity was unamused.

"The flesh of an immortal is said to give a powerful boon," Kunzite supplied. "It's why they are so desired."

"Did it?" Serenity continued, looking between the two. "Give you a powerful boon?"

Kunzite shrugged. Venus wiggled her fingers, little sparks of light blinking between them like beads of nacre. Her little display of power was answer enough.

While they were talking, Jadeite used their conversation as cover to creep closer. A boon? The Immortal was supposed to be delicious _and_ make him more powerful? Could it make the Shrimpman a better swimmer? Give him magical powers? He inched towards the table. Surely, they wouldn't notice if one small toe was missing, would they? He poked the immortal's foot, and the toes twitched.

"It seems so cruel," Serenity said. "Even if it is for a boon."

"My lady," Jupiter began, "You eat clams and scallops and fish. Is that not also cruel? Life requires life. It is the way of the ocean."

Serenity pouted. "Even so, isn't this a little..." she struggled to find the words, "unnecessary? We don't need to eat him for sustenance."

The Guardians looked at her as if she were a child playing at being an adult.

Serenity sighed in defeat. "Either way, what's taking Mars so long to find my mother?"

"Hmm, true. I'll go investigate," Venus suggested.

"I'll go with you," Jupiter added, licking her lips and stroking the human's thigh. "And swing by the kitchen to get my best sushi knives."

Venus pointed two fingers at Jadeite and Kunzite, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "I trust that you two will not eat the Immortal before we get back?" Over Venus's shoulder, Jupiter made a fist, the electromagnetic current distorting the water around it.

"On my honor," Kunzite said. "I will not sample the goods, so to speak."

With a sly smile, Venus nodded, and the two Guardians swam off. Serenity and Kunzite watched intently as they left. The Immortals eyes still lingered on the Princess. No one was paying any attention to Jadeite. So, Jadeite took it as his chance. Creeping along the sand, he slowly lowered his head towards the immortal's foot.

And bit off a toe.

Many things happened in the next moment. Among them were Jadeite's extreme disappointment in the taste of Immortal. It had an unpleasant crunch and was nothing like a chocolate chip starfish. It even lacked the robust flavor of even a common blue sea star. If he swallowed it, he would have to wait until later to see if it provided indigestion he sometimes felt with a Crown-of-Thorns.

Jadeite spat the toe out with a "Blah." Then the bellowing Immortal kicked him in the chin.

It appeared that the Immortal was no longer bound by his paralyzing poison.

The Immortal flailed like a fish out of water. He used Jadeite's head for purchase and catapulted himself to the far wall, taking a chunk of Shrimpman's hair with him. Serenity and Kunzite watched in a stupor as the toe floated around like a piece of chum.

Jadeite groaned and cradled his injured jaw. "Ahh! That bastard!"

"Did you just try to eat his toe?" Serenity said, gaping at him.

"Well, yes, but it wasn't very good," Jadeite said. "And COME ON. I HAD to know! You weren't going to save me any."

Kunzite rolled his eyes before adding, "I wasn't planning on eating any of him."

The Immortal, plastered against the wall and clutching a swath of Jadeite's hair, reached for anything he could use as a weapon. He knocked decorative shells and coral down as he groped, keeping his focus on the room full of merfolk.

Serenity gracefully rose from her perch and swam slowly towards him, her hands outstretched.

"Calm down," she pleaded. "Please. No one here will hurt you."

After a moment, she bobbed her head and added, "Again."

The immortal's hands touched the space where the marble blended with the cave, and his eyes narrowed. The natural rock beneath his fingertips moved to his will as if it had turned to clay. The stone bent and warped until it resembled a very sharp stalagmite. He pointed it at the silver Oceanid.

"What power," Kunzite whispered under his breath.

"Power tastes awful."

Serenity and the Immortal stared at each other. Her breathing was heavy, her gills flaring with fear, but her face was serene. Conversely, his face showed a combination of fear and fierceness.

"I won't hurt you," she said.

Palm open, she reached out, touching the makeshift weapon. The Immortal didn't move to strike as she drifted closer, her hand sliding down the shaft. She brought the weapon to her heart and placed the tip between her breasts. Small dots of blood tinted the water, yet her eyes never left his. After hesitating, giving him the chance to strike, she pressed forward, the weapon folding up between them until they were nearly nose to nose.

"I mean you no harm, Endymion," she whispered again. She wrapped her hands around his, leaving him to grip the weapon. The gesture allowed him to believe he wasn't powerless.

"Is he going to kill her or kiss her?" Jadeite whispered to Kunzite. The Shrimpman shuffled. He felt intensely uncomfortable from both the kick to the jaw and the intimacy of the moment. He was not used to feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure," the older Oceanid replied.

The tension between the Princess and the Immortal was electric. Her light refracted in a way that almost seemed like sparks. They looked at each other, gazes dancing over each other's forms. Jadeite and Kunzite were just part of the background.

Serenity lifted her hand and brushed his cheek. "Do you understand me?"

The Immortals face crumpled as he leaned into her touch. The tension evaporated, and the weapon slipped from his grip. His mouth opened and closed before the words finally croaked out, "Yes."

She nodded. From his cheek, her hand slid down his neck and shoulder, over his arm, and to his hand. Carefully, she laced their fingers together. Then, she pulled back, tugging him after her with their entwined hands. She swam towards the slate table, thought the better of it, and diverted to her clamshell. He drifted behind, occasionally becoming lost in her extremely long and ornate fins.

Why did she have so much finnage? Was that a royal thing? Or a girl thing? Jadeite much preferred Mars's medium fin length. Long enough to be beautiful, but short enough to not be a choking hazard.

Serenity set Endymion in her shell, then her hands continued down the length of him until she reached his foot to inspect his wound. Jadeite's jaw dropped. In all the excitement, they had failed to notice the Immortal's magic did more than shape stone. His missing toe was back, glowing golden as it regenerated. Just to confirm, Jadeite looked above the table to still see the half-eaten toe floating around.

Kunzite moved closer. The Immortal's eyes jerked away from Serenity, but he didn't try to flee. His muscles rippled as he tensed, though.

"Kunzite," Serenity said firmly, "We can't eat him."

"Well, ya know, just saying, if he can regenerate and all, then maybe, we can," Jadeite replied.

Serenity turned and gave him her best royal glare.

"Not that I would. Uh, anymore. And I was just pointing out the obvious benefits," the Shrimp Oceanid continued. "Sometimes I just nibble on my favorite starfish so that it can regrow its leg. Savor it, so to speak."

"We're _not_ eating him," Serenity declared.

"I doubt the others will be so sure of that," Kunzite interjected. "The taste can be rather... addictive."

"But you don't want to eat him," Serenity said. "Why is that?"

"Don't like Immortal either?" Jadeite teased.

Kunzite jaw muscles flexed in a rare tell. Jadeite quirked his head. It couldn't be that Mr. Stoic had a thing for the Immortal too. Who knew he was such a fickle fish?

Finally, Kunzite spoke, "I've had visions of him. And I believe that he is important. To us. To me."

"He's been in my dreams too," Serenity said. "I wonder, did he dream of us?"

She cupped his cheek, and the Immortal leaned into it.

"Well, I haven't had a naked Immortal weirdo in my dreams," Jadeite added. "So, you two could just be totally bonkers."

The Immortal touched Serenity's hand. He moved his mouth, and strange sounds came out. Finally, he managed, "Your name."

"Was that a question or a statement?"

"Can you keep your mouth shut for more than one second, you flamboyant shrimp?" Kunzite growled.

She smiled at Endymion and pressed her other hand to her chest. "Serenity," she answered. She started to point to the others, "Kunz…"

"Kunzite," he croaked again. "Jadeite."

She smiled. Which each new word, the Immortal's noises sounded more and more like speech and less like some dying whale.

Endymion reached out and moved the hand that touched her sternum. He replaced it with his own palm, and a small golden light emitted from him. When he moved his hand again, the little cut from his makeshift weapon had healed.

She gazed in awe before sharing a conspiratorial look with Kunzite. If he was so regenerative, couldn't he regenerate the patch of hair he ripped from Jadeite's head? Or the growing bruise on his cheek?

"Thank you," she said. Then she turned to Kunzite. "We have to get him out of here."

"Agreed."

"There's something going on," she continued. "I just wish I knew what."

"Is that why you didn't go in search of your mother?" Kunzite asked.

She nodded. "I did not trust them alone with him. And I clearly had a reason," she said while glaring at Jadeite.

"I wouldn't have eaten the whole thing," the Shrimpman grumbled.

"Kunzite, can I trust you?"

"More than you know," the Fishman answered.

"I need you to take him away from here," Serenity continued. "Keep him safe until we know what's going on."

"Of course my lady," Kunzite said with a bow. "I will protect him with all I have. On my honor."

She turned to the Immortal, caressing his cheek again. "Go with him. I promise he won't eat you. I'll find you soon, and get you home."

At that, he grabbed her wrist and shook his head. "No home - Darkness."

She looked to Kunzite than back at the human. "I don't understand."

His face conveyed frustration as he struggled for words. She placed a finger over his lips.

"Shh," she cooed. "I'll figure it out. Kunzite, we have to hurry. The others will be back any minute."

Kunzite nodded and moved towards her. She took the Immortal's hand and pressed it to her lips before giving it to the Fishman.

"There's an escape through my bedroom chambers behind the red sea fan," she instructed. "Go quickly, and I'll hold the others off. And Kunzite, please take care of him."

Kunzite nodded while the Immortal looked longingly at the Princess. Suddenly, she was beside the human, cradling his head. Then, she kissed him. Everyone seemed a bit surprised by this, except the Immortal. He looked a touch lovestruck.

She stroked his cheek one last time before shouting, "Go!"

They swam behind the blue sea fans that partitioned her private chambers from her solar and vanished from sight. She stared longingly after them, and Jadeite crab-walked toward the main exit. With her distracted, perhaps he could….

"Just where do you think you're going?" the Princess said sternly. "You just tried to eat my Immortal."

Jadeite cringed. Today was definitely not his day.


	5. Discoveries in Atlantis

**AN:** Fun reminder that there is art attached to this story! You can find it easiest by going to check this fic out on AO3!

It was a popular notion that Atlantis had once belonged to the land and had sunken into the sea. Zoisite would be the first to say that was a load of whale shit. The city had been the estate of Posiden's favorite mistress, Larisa. She had a penchant for magic and a love of reading. Over the eons, the manor had evolved into an extensive library containing wreckage from human libraries thought lost to history.

Larisa's descendants became the natural choice for librarians as they inherited her magical abilities of water manipulation. With clear career paths, they built their dwellings around the Library, which became the center of a city. Atlantis was one of the most populous Oceanid habitats, so there was a bustle unlike anywhere else Zoisite had been. It was not uncommon to cross the path of merfolk also in search of knowledge from some far corner of the sea, and it was no surprise that Mercury would hail from such an epicenter of expertise. It was her exceptional control over water and her remarkable brain that had called her from the stacks of Atlantis to the Courts of Princess Serenity, handpicked by the Queen herself.

The only way to house and preserve some of the more fragile human documents was by sealing them in perfectly controlled bubbles. Though Oceanid writing was much better suited to the sea, even their records needed relief from the constant erosion of saltwater. This was why Zoisite stared at the 15 meter spiral of bubbles containing various works that might reference a magical rope and a shipwreck from three thousand years ago.

So far, his expectations of the magic of the rope greatly exceeded reality. It vaguely glowed, and it did appear to be impossible to slip from once bound. However, it did not make for a good lasso. Zoisite had attempted to amuse himself by trying to snare various bubbles without popping them, then when that got boring, by using his tendrils to slowly push bubbles at Mercury's head.

"Think the rope could force people to only tell the truth?" he asked.

"I think you are a bit too predisposed with human stories," Mercury chided him, batting a bubble dislodged from her chain away from her head.

"I think you're a bit too predisposed with research," he grumbled.

Mercury rolled her eyes. "Knowing what we're appraising is integral to maximizing your profits."

He itched at the word profit, trying to assure himself that this wait was not in vain. Shortly, he would be a very rich Jellyfish, as soon as they learned just what they'd found. She selected another scroll and attached it to her seemingly endless trail of bubbles.

"Well, it's boring."

Treasure hunting was exciting. Finding an Immortal at the bottom of a dead sea was doubly exciting. Waiting in a library while his partner searched through ancient tomes was significantly less exciting. Zoisite looked to the statue beside him.

"You agree with me, don't you?" he said to the statuary. It was of a classic Poseidon riding a hippocampus. The figure held its trident out, and he draped the rope over it. Like the rope, the statue had probably been found. Unlike the statue, this rope was supposed to be something special. Treasure. The greatest treasure. He licked his lips. He could almost taste the bounty.

"You would think there would be more information on magical ropes," Mercury commented, pulling him from his fixations.

Zoisite side-eyed the parade of bubbled books that followed her. He sighed. "It's probably some dime a dozen enchanted rope every sailor three thousand years ago came equipped with. Or at least the well-to-do ones."

Selecting a new bubble, she slipped inside up to her gills, her tail dangling like drapery, to better inspect the text. She flipped the pages ravenously as if somewhere in the letters were the answers to everything she craved.

"Gleipnir," Mercury started.

"Bless you."

She narrowed her eyes unamused. Sliding out from the bubble, she carefully attached it to her growing collection before continuing. "Gleip-nir is a relic that meant to bind the apocalypse."

"And what does a sneeze have to my rope?"

"May I see it for a moment? Gleipnir is made from very unique substances, and I'd like to see what fibers your rope is made from." She held out her hand, expectantly.

He felt a twinge of anger rise up in him. How dare she ask for his treasure? Blinking, he corrected himself. That wasn't right; she was just curious. She didn't want to take his treasure from him. He shook himself out and blobbed around Mercury. Floating over her and upside down, Zoisite gently hooked the rope around her wrist. The blue Oceanid glowered and quickly slid it off. Seems he wasn't the only one low on patience.

She yanked the rope, and all hell broke loose.

The rope had knotted around the statue, and her tugging toppled it over. The trident severed the anchor that held the stack of encased books together. The bubbles scattered like a hatching clutch of eggs. Scrolls and books sprawled everywhere, some even popping and exposing the delicate papers to water. Patrons clambered from other alcoves drawn by the commotion, gasping and whispering at the destruction unfolding.

Mercury looked around in horror. A shadow settled over her cheeks like a blush, and she screamed.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

He was going to point out to her that, technically, this was her fault, when a blast of water slammed him into another stack of bubbles. Several more dislodged. He felt anger settling in him that was unnatural, but he couldn't fight it. No one got the jump on him.

Zoisite was surprisingly durable, and brute strength wasn't the way to thwart him. He rolled with the wave and plotted his next move. Narrowing his eyes, he braced as another wave of current knocked him into yet another tower of bubbles. Ready this time, he grabbed the anchor and used his momentum to swing around, changing directions. In the chaos, he tackled Mercury, globbing on and wrapping his tentacles around her. She screamed, struggling to escape, which only tangled her more.

She thrashed about, sending jets of water any which way she could. He held tight. All of her strugglings invoked an image of prey, of a tuna in a net. He couldn't explain it, but he felt overcome with the need to bite her. To devour her. He opened his mouth, ready to chomp her shoulder when suddenly everything froze.

"What is going on here?"

The Oceanid that spoke was tall and deadly, looking with dark hair and purple scales. Long striped, black fins like knives stook stark and ready to strike much like the silver staff she held. Garnet eyes darted between the two frozen fish folk, lips pursed disapprovingly. Beside the Lionfish Lady floated Queen Serenity.

In quite the contrast, the Queen glowed softly like moonlight. Her resemblance to her daughter was uncanny, though her fins iridesced more lavender than pink. She looked around, eyes like the breaking dawn taking in the destruction. Her mouth formed a narrow line.

All around the room, waterlogged and encapsulated books floated like shattered china. Nearby Oceanids peered in from a safe distance. Zoisite and Mercury floated in their own tangled ball of fins and tendrils. The rope was coiled atop the Poseidon statue on the ground in the center of the room.

The Lionfish lady waved her staff, and Mercury cried out, "This is all his fault! He wouldn't give me the stupid rope!"

The Queen and her companion exchanged a confused look until Mercury looked toward the relic on the ground. Recognition spread over the Queen's face, and she all but floated over to it. She delicately picked up the rope, running it through her fingers as if it were sealskin. Seeing the unconscious knot tied around Posideon's trident, she untied it. She glanced at the lionfish, they looked to Mercury.

"Where did you get this?" the Queen's voice was soft, but commanding.

The magic weakened, and Zoisite found that he could speak, though, the rest of him remained frozen. He needed to get the rope out of the Queen's hands. It wasn't hers.

"It's my treasure," he growled.

"Do you know what it is?" Mercury asked, desperately. "I need to know the answer."

The Queen looked between the two of them then became very solemn. Gently, she placed her hand on the terrifying librarian's arm and whispered, "Pluto, I believe they are contaminated."

"But how?" the purple Oceanid asked.

"Doesn't matter," the Queen said. Slowly, she lifted her hand, letting the tear-shaped crystal bound around her wrist float into her hand. As she touched it, the stone emitted a light that engulfed the room. It was so bright, and Zoisite couldn't fight it. A sharp pain burned like tiny ice hooks burrowing into his flesh and burning out contamination he didn't know was there. When the light dimmed, he felt surprisingly refreshed and confused as to why he'd wanted to bite Mercury in the first place.

She must have felt the same because she blinked at him equally confused. He abruptly let her go, and the two floated away from each other, embarrassed.

"Your majesty!" Pluto cried, drawing Zoisite and Mercury's attention. The Queen had slumped, curling slightly into herself, her luster faded. She pinched the bridge of her nose and waved at the doting Lionfish Oceanid as if she were a pilot fish.

"I am fine," she assured, but Zoisite didn't believe her.

While Pluto tended to the Queen, he floated down to look at the coil resting on the floor again. Whatever the rope was made of, it was as heavy as a lead weight. It pulsed a soft light as if the Queen's crystal had awoken it. Zoisite wondered if it was actually a lure, and they were fish being lead to the hook. Mercury was the one to pick it up again, and after a glance towards the Jellyfish man, she offered it to the Queen.

"Let's try this again," the monarch started. "Where did you find that?"

Zoisite answered quickly, "A shipwreck in the Black Sea, my liege."

"And what of the guard? And the prisoner?" she continued.

Mercury and Zoisite exchanged a glance, unsure of what she was asking. Did she know the Immortal had been down there? If so, why had she left him there all those years instead of eating him?

"We do not know who you speak of," Mercury started, "We only found an Immortal…"

"The Immortal, Endymion, where is he?" There was a frantic edge in the Queen's voice.

"Mars was bringing him to the Princess last we checked," he answered.

The Queen closed her eyes, gripping Pluto's forearms.

"Your Majesty?" the Lionfish Oceanid inquired.

"I do not have time to answer everything, and even if I did, I do not know all the details," the Queen said. She started moving as she continued, knowing that all would follow her, hanging on her every word. "I was just a child when my father sent the Orichiam, but there should be records. In his personal journals perhaps? There is a great evil, and we must prepare. And this is all my fault."

She paused to press her wrist to her forehead.

Orichiam? The old king' journals? A sinking feeling crept over Zoisite as the ghost of a memory settled in. There was something bigger going on here, something more important that appraising an oddity or selling a rare catch.

"Mercury, I need you to find out everything we can. Pluto, give them access to whatever they need," the royal Oceanid instructed.

"What about you, my Queen?" Pluto asked.

"I must return to the palace. Hopefully, keep mistakes from being made."

The Queen nodded at Pluto, then looked to Mercury and Zoisite. Her eyes lingered on Zoisite longer than the others. "Kleidaria. That's what they called it."

"Called what?" Zoisite asked. He shivered before he heard the answer because somehow, he knew.

"The rope."

"Kleidaria," Mercury repeated.

The Queen smiled. "Now, I really must get to the palace. Be well."

With a nod, she and Pluto swam off, leaving Zoisite and Mercury behind. The corner of a book bounced off Zoisite's hood with a small sting.

He furrowed his brow and looked at the relic in his hand. "Who names a rope?"

XXX

It ripped into the chest of a stingray larger than any man it had encountered. The creature screamed as the Darkness pulled its heart from its chest. The monster licked its lips as the organ beat its final time.

As the Darkness brought the heart to its lips, a light blossomed on the horizon. The heart momentarily forgotten, the monster stared as the blaze died out after just an instant. It shivered. A small part of its darkness was gone now, not that it had a firm grip on the strange creatures that had released it. Not like its new pet.

The Darkness turned its attention to Nephrite. The Octopusman gazed where the light had been. Perhaps he thought he'd seen a supernova.

"What was that?" it asked.

"The Queen most likely," he answered.

So, the light was already here. The Darkness bristled a little, then shoved the forgotten heart into its mouth. At least it wasn't anywhere near the Princeling, and it wouldn't if the Darkness had anything to say about it.

"Can you take me to it?"

Nephrite nodded, and the Darkness smiled. Yes, it would consume the light, and then there would be nothing to stop it. Not even Endymion.


	6. Afoot

Where exactly does one take an Immortal on the lam? Kunzite couldn't take him back to his burrow. That would be a.) obvious and b.) not well suited for entertaining a human. There wasn't much there besides his secret collection of shells. In addition, it would be the first place Venus would look.

Though at this rate, they would be lucky to make it anywhere. Now that he was no longer incapacitated, Endymion was reluctant to be carried. He did not like being lifted under his arms, nor by his wrists. He expressed this displeasure with a series of snarls and general malcontent. To top it off, human anatomy was not adept at swimming, so it wasn't like Kunzite could just let him swim unassisted. This made progress slow. Slow progress made for a greater chance of being recaptured, and that made Kunzite increasingly frustrated.

Finally, as they approached the Sunken Temple where everything had seemingly started, Kunzite snapped. He snarled, mouth opening to reveal his cavernous maw. The Immortal treaded water and flenched, yet held his ground. With the show of dominance ignored, the pair slowly floated down to the seafloor.

The sun was setting, and the twilight diffused in a dim glow. The bioluminescence of the surrounding animals and algae became more pronounced. Endymion settled into the sand, his hands searching around. Kunzite started to wonder just how poor the Immortal's eyesight was in the dwindling light. Finding a rock roughly the side of his head, Endymion hugged it to his chest. Kunzite narrowed his eyes at the human. What a _strange_ creature.

"I do wish you were easier to communicate with," Kunzite told him.

The Immortal stared at him, then said, "Then ask nicely."

For a moment Kunzite floated, blinking. He understood the words, though, they were in a language he'd never heard before. Or so he thought.

Endymion curled himself around the rock like it was a lost lover while simultaneous burying himself into the sand and seaweed and plastic. The darkness was settling in deeper, and Kunzite knew they needed to reach sanctuary before any stray Oceanid wandered into the Temple. He reached out to grab the Immortal when Endymion pulled away.

"I'm not going to eat you," the Fishman reassured.

Endymion opened and closed his mouth, before running on hand through his hair. He pulled at his roots and growled, "No, you won't eat me, but words... hard."

At that moment, Kunzite realized the Immortal was just as frustrated as he was. It was so easy to think of the human as food, less intelligent than the squid he feasted on and so very unlike himself. Otherwise, the weight of his youthful meal would be too heavy for his soul.

He couldn't change the past, but he could change himself going forward. He needed to try a different approach.

They sat there a moment in silence watching schools of fish swim by as the light faded, while Kunzite tried to figure out their next move. He startled as Endymion gripped the Fishman's arm. The Immortal's eyes were closed and his face placid, focused, other hand buried in the sand. Kunzite thought the Immortal was warm, but this was something else. Where Endymion touched almost burned, and then glowed gold. Power flowed into Kunzite, hauntingly familiar.

Endymion stopped after a moment, then collapsed in the sand. He started hugging his rock again.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm learning," Immortal answered.

And so was Kunzite. He was being used as a translator. The Immortal was divining Oceanid language with some sort of magic. It all seemed too familiar. The ghost of a memory flittered through his mind. He remembered meeting a dark-haired man, no, a boy, somewhere warm, sandy, and dry. As quickly as it came, it was gone. He shook his head, looking at anything other than the Immortal beside him.

"We need to keep moving. Get you to safety."

"Nowhere safe," Endymion said shaking his head. "Darkness coming."

"Yes, the darkness is coming, which is exactly why we must get out of open waters," Kunzite argued.

"No! Darkness," the Immortal insisted. "Metalia!"

The two entered a staring contest, grumpy faces for both of them. Kunzite looked away first, turning away from the human and towards the Temple.

The Fishman nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw an Oceanid approaching like a ghost. She swam through the Sunken Temple, casting a mauve glow all around her. At first, Kunzite thought she was the Princess, finally escaped from her Guardians, until he realized that she was coming from Atlantis.

_The Queen._

He found himself at a crossroads. His duty urged him to seek out the Queen, express his concerns that something big was happening. Yet, his promise to the Princess and loyalty even deeper caused him to hesitate. He needed to protect Endymion at all costs, but did that include from his Queen as well? Thankfully, he didn't have time to consider longer. Endymion saw the royal Oceanid coming and stood. Kunzite hovered protectively.

The Queen smiled as she approached as if seeing an old friend. "Endymion," she greeted, "I had hoped to never see you again."

He smiled wryly at her.

She opened her mouth to say something when her eyes darted something behind them. Her playful smile dissipated, and Endymion turned around to see where she was looking. Kunzite turned as well, but all he saw were shadows, growing thicker as the light dimmed.

"Kunzite," the Queen commanded. "You need to get him out of here. Protect him with your life. It's near, but I'll draw its attention."

She looked down at the human, and smiled sadly, "You're the only one who can possibly stop it. At least now I won't cause you to fail."

Leaning over, she kissed the Immortal's forehead before swimming over him and into the darkening sea. Both the Fishman and the Immortal watched her go, like a star disappearing behind a cloud. Endymion tapped Kunzite on the shoulder then gestured towards the Oceanid's back.

Kunzite lowered himself, allowing the human to climb on. Endymion wrapped one arm around his shoulders and clutched his rock with the other. Taking this as the best it was going to get, the two swam off towards the only shelter Kunzite could think of.

XXX

Under the Princess's glare and in the fading light, Jadeite felt obvious. This was a new feeling for him. Even though he was pink, spotted, and his heritage was from one of the strangest creatures in the ocean, he had a way of fading into the background. Disappearing. Becoming unnoticeable. Stealth was his natural talent.

Her eyebrow arched, waiting for his reply.

"Um…" he mumbled.

"What did he taste like?" she asked, perching on her clam. Her hand drifted to her lips.

More tough questions? Jadeite looked around the room for inspiration. The bioluminescent algae started to glow brighter, accenting the negative space of the tessellations painted around the room. What did the immortal taste like? Bland and chewy. Not sweet and crunchy like stardust.

"Gummy," he answered. "And not very good." With an aftertaste of depressing memories.

He thought of asking her what _she_ thought the Immortal tasted like from her sample, but he thought better of it. It wasn't really polite, or smart, to ask his future queen to kiss and tell.

As she watched him, the gears in her mind turned and plotted. Finally, she asked, "I need you to swear something to me."

He grimaced. Oaths were not something to be taken lightly. They had a magic of their own but were often compounded with the magic of the sea. Especially so when a Princess was involved. Also, it's not like he could refuse a royal request. Did that make it coercion?

"Of course, your majesty."

"I need you to swear to me you will not eat Endymion," she said.

Oh, was that all? He restrained himself from slumping with relief. This was an oath he could keep. Immortals were gross.

"Of course I won't, my lady," he said, more genuinely than anything else he'd said all day.

As the words left his mouth, the water around him vibrated. Deeper magic than he was used to was present. Something inside him stirred, and a chill overcame him as if someone walked over his grave.

"Also," she continued. "Promise me you'll protect him."

He cocked his head, giving her a curious look. "Of course, my lady," he answered. He was unnerved by how certain he was that he would.

He didn't have time to dwell on that with the chatter of Serenity's Court outside. Those girls could be louder than a pod of whales. So much for escaping before they came back. He was going to have to face down the wrath of Mars for his toe tasting.

The three ladies of the Court entered the solarium like a kaleidoscope of butterflies. Fins of red and purple, gold and orange, and green and pink, floated around the Oceanids like maids wearing their finest dresses. Their finest dresses and sharpest knives. Jupiter had come well equipped for making usu-zukuri of the Immortal.

"My Princess," Mars greeted. "It appears that Queen Serenity…."

"Hold up," Venus said, hand raised to silence Mars. She stared at the empty table and complete lack of the Immortal in the room. Eyebrows raised, she looked at Serenity with suspicion.

"Where is dinner?" Venus continued.

Mars turned her focus to the Shrimpman as a mother looks at a disobedient child. "Jadeite, what did you do?"

"What makes you think it was me?" Jadeite retorted.

"He had nothing to do with it," Serenity interrupted.

Mars rubbed her eyes with her palms, saying, "Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

"Well, this time it's true!" Jadeite said. "Mostly."

Serenity unfurled from her shell, her face turning pink from the bickering. As she extended her fins like war fan, she all but transformed in front of them. While he often thought the ladies' fins excessive, he underestimated just how threatening they could be.

"Stop." Her command reverberated through the room. The girls genuflected heads' bent.

"I let the Immortal go," she continued.

"But why?" Venus asked.

"I did not wish to eat him," she answered and drifted back to her shell.

"Princess," Jupiter started. "That is not a reason to let something so valuable go."

The Guardians moved around their Princess like a pack of orcas. Jadeite wasn't sure if they were ready to protect or strike.

"Serenity," Venus said. "You need this immortal."

The Princess huffed and folded her arms.

"You haven't come into the Queen's power yet," Mars soothed. "And until then, you are vulnerable to those who would wish to take your throne."

"The Immortal would give you a much-needed boon," Jupiter continued. "Plus, it should be delicious. I was really hoping to try some."

"There's a toe floating around," Jadeite pointed out. "It's bite-sized."

Mars sent him a scathing gaze. "Do I even want to know?" The Shrimpman answered with a shake of his head.

"I know this is hard for you," Venus continued, "But it's our way. Jupiter and I can go looking for him. He can't have gotten far."

Jadeite felt a tingling sensation in his chest as if he were wading through a carpet of fire anemones. Damnit, the Princess' oath.

"It's getting dark," he heard himself saying. "And like you said, he can't have gotten too far. We'd do better to look for him in the morning."

Serenity looked at the Shrimpman curiously, biting back a small smile.

Venus scowled. "I supposed your right. I just hope he doesn't get eaten by something else first."

"I doubt there's much near the palace that would be so dangerous," Jadeite assured.

"Speaking of dangerous things, do you know where Kunzite went?"

XXX

The sun had set by the time they reached the underwater cave that was Serenity's Sanctuary. Endymion had clutched Kunzite close during the ride on the Fishman's back. His gripped finally loosened once inside the cave. The electric blues and greens of the carefully cultivated bioluminescent creatures calmed him. This lead Kunzite to suspect the human's eyesight was poor in comparison to his own. A large opening in the center of the cave let the moonlight in, and Endymion swam straight to it. He looked up, treading water to keep himself afloat. For a moment, Kunzite worried his charge was going to escape to the surface where he could not follow.

A school of tiny silver fish brushed past Endymion's foot, and he jerked away as if they were spiders. Clutching his rock close, he drifted towards the igneous wall then down to the ground. Sediment swirled around him as he seated himself in the sandbed.

With his hand pressed firmly to the wall, Endymion garbled, "Kunzite. Will you help me?"

The Oceanid blinked at him, head cocked ever so slightly to the side. "Of course, but with what?"

Endymion struggled for the words, his face contorting as if trying to figure out how to move his mouth correctly. Finally, he muttered, "The Darkness, Metalia."

That word again.

"I don't understand that word." Kunzite furrowed his brow.

The Immortal closed his eyes, calming himself, then gently buried his hands in the sand. A golden glow started in his chest, traveling down his arms and into the ground. The sand before him started to shift, swirling until it became shapes and figures. Non-descript humans wearing crowns stook in a circle. They gestured animatedly and pointed to something in the distance. As they pointed, the sand-swept up again, becoming something almost bat-like. A monster.

"Metalia."

The bickering kings each presented something to a crownless man. After all the gifts were accepted, they merged into a rope. The kings fell away, and the man turned to face the monster. Four knights appeared in V formation beside the hero. Together, they trapped the demon. The crownless man, Kunzite realized, was Endymion. The Immortal was a hero of an old legend, yet, why had his name been forgotten?

The scene shifted again, this time to a boat. The sand rose and fell like turbulent waves as Endymion and his knights sailed through what Kunzite believed must have been a storm, only to have the boat sink. The scene reset again; the boat now shipwrecked with two familiar figures. Two Oceanids, one a Jellyfish man and one a Betta Fishwoman. Zoisite and Mercury. They entered the ship, then the monster escaped.

Endymion's glow dwindled, and the sand fell to the ground. Silence lingered between them as Kunzite mulled over the story. The Immortal's face crumpled in defeat.

Realizing he'd been silent too long, Kunzite said, "Mercury and Zoisite let something out."

Light returned to the hero's eyes. "Yes! The Darkness. Metalia."

Kunzite nodded sagely. Well, that certainly made more sense. He'd been a fool for not putting that together before.

"This Metalia," Kunzite continued. "What will it do?"

Endymion opened and closed his mouth, before finally settling on, "destroy everything."

Kunzite thought on this, piecing together bits like weaving a basket. "Is that what the Queen saw? Near the Temple?"

The Immortal shrugged before changing his mind and nodding "yes." He slammed his rock onto the ground in frustration.

Kunzite sympathized with the Immortal. Here was a great hero, a prince who'd trapped a powerful monster, legend lost to time, reduced to a blundering creature as agile as a pipefish.

Though, a fish out of water that had managed to flop his way off the chef's chopping block and into a stew pot was a more fitting description. At least the stew pot wasn't boiling just yet.

"So, how do we stop it?" Kunzite asked.

"Kleidaria."

Kunzite did not roll his eyes, but he wanted to. Yet another strange word that made no sense to him. However, seeing the Fishman's confusion, Endymion ripped up a piece of kelp then wrapped it around his wrist. Pointing to it, the human repeated, "Kleidaria."

At first, Kunzite wanted to inform him that it was a piece of kelp when he remembered the rope that used to be tied around Endymion's wrist. A memory of Mercury showcasing a limp wrist and an oddity, a golden rope with a loose knot. Kleidaria.

Nodding with understanding, Kunzite continued, "Mercury and Zoisite brought it to Atlantis. Then, we'll head that way at first light. Perhaps we can even rally the guard there since the palace may be compromised by then..."

Endymion became frantic, silently begging for Kunzite to explain his words.

"The Queen can hold her own, but, I'm not sure she could take on such a monster alone. If she retreated to the palace, it may have followed her," Kunzite explained. "Without the proper preparations, I'm unsure she would be able to maintain a sudden defense. We're not exactly primed for an invasion. Our ways are rather sleepy."

Endymion seemed to process this as best he could, running through what he knew of the Darkness in his mind. His eyes widened, and he said, "Serenity."

The Immortal pushed himself off the seabed, the momentum carrying maybe two tail swishes away from his launching point. He continued flailing around in what Kunzite assumed must be human swimming.

"What _are_ you doing?"

Endymion looked at the Fishman as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Serenity! Danger!" he choked out.

Kunzite rolled his eyes, "Don't be a fool, if you go back, the Darkness will get you or her court will try to eat you."

Though, Endymion did present a point. The palace would need reinforcements. If only there was a way for Kunzite to be in two places at once. He couldn't leave Endymion alone, mostly because he didn't trust the human not to sneak off. Still, if he could warn the others….

"The danger is…" Endymion started, clutching his rock, "afoot…"

It was as if something snapped into place in his mind. That could work.

"Yes! A foot! I could trick them that I ate you," Kunzite continued. "With your foot."

Endymion blinked in bafflement.

"It grows back right?" Kunzite continued. Yes. This was a solution. The Price would need to stay put to heal, and he could return to Silver Millennium with proof of the Immortal's demise. This was excellent! Kunzite did not hesitate, fully confident in his plan.

Endymion's eyes widen with realization. He didn't even have time to react as Kunzite lunged forward and bit the Immortal's leg.

He tasted like dreams, autumn, smoke from a bonfire, the sun against skin in the sea air, tanned hides, a forgotten promise, and pistachios. Kunzite closed his eyes and thought it would be so easy to just swallow….

Endymion for his part, only screamed briefly, before swimming as far away Kunzite as best he could with one foot. Blood trailed behind him like a banner in the wind.

Delicately, Kunzite removed the foot from his mouth. It looked unremarkable. No hint of the power that flowed through it. He met the Immortal's eyes, which looked betrayed and hurt and a bit flabbergasted. Endymion threw the rock he'd carried at Kunzite with as much force as he could muster. It fell short.

"I'm sorry, my prince," Kunzite said. His brow creased at the usage of the phrase. It had been so natural. He remembered the figures in the sand, then asked, "Am I… was I one of the men who you started this journey with?"

Endymion furrowed his bow. Ah yes, without the rock, it was much more difficult for the immortal to make sense of things. Kunzite shook his head. It was a question that could be answered later.

The Immortal found purchase against one of the rock walls, then grunted, "You couldn't wait until morning?"

Kunzite shrugged. Perhaps he could have, though, he wasn't sure he'd be able to have argued the prince out of returning to the palace tonight otherwise. "You'll regenerate, correct? If I left you too defenseless, then you'd be too easy of prey for our enemies."

Endymion scowled, but Kunzite could see that the blood was already stopping and the stump was glowing golden. Yes, he would be just fine.

"Now, we should get some rest," Kunzite continued. "I'll return to the palace at first light. Claim that I ate you, and hope they buy it. Until then, it's much too dark for anything else."

Kunzite found a place to rest, keeping the foot close to him while batting away small blennies looking for an easy meal and occasionally glancing over at the Immortal who searched for his own place to hide. Endymion finally settled in a crevice in the rocks far away from The Fishman. As long as the immortal was safe, he could deal with the anger. Feeling safe at last, he drifted off to sleep.

XXX

Queen Serenity had nearly reached Silver Millenium. The sun was long gone, and shadows had stalked her at every turn. In the distance, she could see the glowing sconces of phytoplankton that illuminated the capital. She gazed longingly, the relief of finally being home warming her bones.

It's why she almost missed the Darkness looming nearby. It was nothing more than an umbra with a chuckle.

She froze in place as the chilling laughter ran down her spine. So this was it. After blasting shadow after shadow, distracting it from Endymion, it had finally closed in. Her hand clutched the crystal at her wrist, still warm from the last magical expenditure.

"Well, what a fine catch I've caught here," Metalia said. "A Princess all grown up. A Queen now I suppose."

It swam closer, moving like a sentient blob of squid ink. Behind it, an octopus Oceanid dropped its own camouflage. The Queen bit her tongue as she recognized the monster's companion.

"You were just a wee thing when I last saw you," the Darkness whispered in her ear. "Now, you are almost a crone. I supposed that godforsaken father of yours is gone, then."

Serenity closed her eyes. She felt the water filter through her gills, taking the oxygen out and bringing it to her lungs. This was all _her _fault. If she hadn't been playing with the crystal, summoning storms above the black sea just because she could. She _didn't know_ the secret mission to save the world was passing through there, its voyage ensured by her father. She was just a child! She'd done everything to hide her mistake, helping Endymion protect the Darkness and turning his guardians into Oceanids, letting history believe the Prince had succeeded, even though he'd never returned. Still, she knew it was a ticking clock that would eventually need to be wound. She hoped the key would work.

Refusing to let her greatest mistake be the last thing on her mind, she pictured the face of her daughter, so very young, but not so young anymore. She smiled with the flutter of hope.

The Darkness started to take a form, solidifying into something vaguely Oceanid shaped.

"But you'll do. What will that forsaken little Prince do without a Guardian of the Light to help him?" the Darkness smirked.

The Queen opened her eyes, her resolution solidified. "If you think I'm going to go peacefully, you best think again."

The smile stretched over the face beyond anything resembling normal. "I was hoping you'd say that," it replied. Then, it lunged for her heart.


	7. Please Don't Be Sharks

Endymion's stump _hurt_. His magic pulsed in time with his heartbeat, a steady golden glow slowly regenerating his wounds. However, just because he could heal didn't mean he was immune to pain. He shuffled around his small nook like a restless sleeper. Of course, the volcanic rock was a pale imitation of the memory of a real bed. Petrified wood wasn't much better either.

He made a tourniquet from some kelp, then created a hidey-hole for himself by shifting some of the rock formations. The bleeding had stopped, but his powers were still focused on healing. It would take most of a day to recuperate the leg. A toe was one thing; the majority of a calf was another. It was taking a toll. He hadn't used this much power since petrifying the ship. It was exhausting.

He rolled over and closed his eyes. It was strange to be awake. The only way to survive the years of solitude was to exist in a constant state of near consciousness. Nothing existed on the ship except him and the Darkness, and it had nearly consumed him. At first, it hadn't been so bad. He could still feel the Earth, his planet, his crystal's source of power. Yet as he used more and more of his magic to contain Metalia, that connection dwindled until it all but vanished. It left him alone with nothing except the whispering of the Darkness. Sometimes it told him of his failures; sometimes it just chattered.

The throbbing of his missing foot was almost as bad as Metalia. He was just starting to drift off again when something smashed into the rocks beside him.

His eyes snapped open, and he pressed himself into the rock. Whatever it was smashed into the rocks again. He'd mostly sealed himself into the rock, though he could see through small silts. A shadow moved past, blocking out the dull glow of the coral that flourished nearby. Gods damn his human eyesight.

The shadow rammed the rocks again.

Oh, fuck. Was it Metalia?

No, whatever was attacking was too tangible. Had the hungry Oceanid's found him? Where was Kunzite?

He pressed himself into the rock, trying to draw power. Would his shelter hold? As his surroundings shook, he knew his answer. Pumice mixed with basalt was brittle. It wasn't a question of _if_ the rock would break, but _when_.

Taking a calming breath, he considered his options. It was possible that Kunzite had developed a taste for his flesh and was coming after him for seconds. However, unless Kunzite had become a vrykolakas, another culprit was likely. Being surrounded by Oceanids craving his flesh made it easy to forget the ocean was full of other perils.

A giant squid perhaps? A dragon? Scylla?

Pieces of the rock floated in along with a triangular...tooth? Endymion closed his eyes.

A shark. It had to be fucking sharks.

Endymion hated sharks.

He pressed his hand into the rocks and called, "Kunzite!" The name reverberated down the stone and through the grotto. The assault halted.

Endymion kept his breathing controlled. He did want to risk straining or breaking Mercury's air bubble. Drowning would be especially disadvantageous at the moment. He needed to be calm and collected to investigate the scene. Slowly, he floated toward the protective wall, pressing his hand against it to sense what swam outside.

He didn't even get a chance to read it before the rocks crumbled and the shark was snapping. He saw a mouth with rows of teeth open, headed his way…

When another mouth crashed into it.

Kunzite clashed with the beast. Each snarling. Teeth gnashing. The brute strength of two forces pushing upon each other.

Endymion seized the opportunity and fled his refuge. His mind offered flashback of battles from a different life with a white-haired soldier clashing swords and iron. He quickly shut them down. Now was not a time to reflect on past lives.

He didn't move fast before, and without a foot, he moved even slower. His balance was thrown, and even upon the seafloor, he couldn't find purchase. He tried gripping the grotto walls as if he could hop to safety somehow. He fell to his knees as the sounds of Kunzite and the shark clashing behind him reached his ears. If he couldn't run, then he couldn't hide. So, he'd have to make a stand.

Well, _stand_ might not have been the best choice of words.

He turned to face the battle. In the dim light, it was difficult to make out exactly what was happening outside of fins, teeth, and bubbles. Still, Kunzite, with his massive jaw unhinged as if he could swallow the Great White in one bite, pinned the beast in Endymion's former alcove.

Endymion pressed on hand to his heart and held his other hand out in front of him. Golden light fluttered around his fingertips. The power of the Golden Crystal, the energy of the earth, was poised on his fingertips, cocked like an arrow in a drawn bowstring.

Kunzite chose that moment to punch the shark, knocking the beast away and giving Endymion the opportunity he needed. He let his power flow like a bullet of sunlight. It pierced the shark through its gills, blasting its face off.

Kunzite turned to Endymion, mouth surprisingly smaller considering it had just gone jaw to jaw with a Great White. The Oceanid looked like he was mildly impressed with the prince, then that shifted quite suddenly.

"Endymion, look out!"

Another shark bit onto Endymion's shoulder. Pain overwhelmed him as the beast shook him from side to side like a hound with a hare. He flailed. Focusing, he reached, searching for anything. His hands found sand and rock and kelp before brushing against a familiar shape - the rock he'd thrown at Kunzite hours earlier with little success. Without thinking, he gripped it then bashed the shark in the nose. The predator released him, but the momentum propelled him into a larger rock formation.

Saltwater stung his open wounds matching the throbbing of his new bruises. Blood floated around him, a red cloud warning. With his bad arm, he cradled his rock at his waist like a shield, and he pressed his good hand to the formation behind him. He needed a weapon.

Kunzite moved before him in the blink of an eye, though, Endymion's blinks grew longer and longer. His grip on time was slippery, but for once, not from his own distortion. It had been a long time since he'd been injured like this. Even though his vision was fading, he could feel the water moving around him, currents created from powerful fins moving quickly. With the last of his power, he called out to the Earth beneath his fingertips. The rock beneath bent, folding into a much-needed weapon.

"Kunzite," Endymion called. "Take this."

He tossed Kunzite the weapon his mind had unconsciously forged from the lava rocks beside him - a trident. The Fishman caught it with one hand and didn't hesitate. As the shark charged, Kunzite impaled the animal through its gaping maw, pinning it to the sandbed.

Adrenaline still pumped through them, and Endymion tried to squeeze his rock, his old friend, to his chest with his wounded arm. He wanted to take deep breaths, but it was too hard. The shark must have punctured his lung. He slipped down the formation into the sand bed, gripping to consciousness as he did his rock. The ache from the shark bite lessened as golden sparks flickered off like tiny fireworks.

"Are you… alright?" Kunzite asked, his hand hovering, afraid to touch. Endymion wondered if the blood in the water attracted the Oceanid too. If it would turn the Fishman against him. Though, he had been able to spit out the prince's foot.

"I will be," Endymion answered. "With time."

The Fishman looked around as if searching for anything he could use to help Endymion. His shoulders drooped when he didn't see anything of use, and after heartbeats calmed, the settled into the sand beside the prince. Endymion wasn't sure how much time passed in the silence, at some point he must have passed out. However, Kunzite's voice woke him.

"The sun is rising," the Fishman said. "But I cannot leave you here."

"I have shark for breakfast," the Prince answered with a cough. "I'll be fine."

"That is not reassuring."

Endymion smiled. "I just need to rest. Let my magic work."

Kunzite nodded. "I will help hide you. So you can heal, though I suppose this cave isn't so safe anymore," he said. "I'll create a small structure nearby."

Endymion nodded and a small smile crept across his lips. Did Kunzite realize he was speaking the old tongue?

The Prince woke again as he felt Kunzite lifting him off the seafloor, the interruption in his magic's connection rousing him more than the cold arms of his friend. The Fishman carried him to a small resting place in the sand, in the lee of a slate shelf near the cave. It was a very strategic position. He would be able to watch without being seen. As he recovered, he would also be able to shift the rock for even more protection. Though, that would be hours from now.

"Rest," Kunzite instructed. "And remember, reveal yourself to no one but myself or Serenity."

Endymion mentally added Jadeite because he was sure that the Shrimpman was the only one truly not tempted to eat him. With that, he closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep.

XXX

Nephrite was hungry.

Silver Millennium was barren in the early light of the dawn. Oceanids by nature were solitary creatures, some even territorial. It was not uncommon that even in the largest of habitats, that there would be only a few actual residents. Locations were used more for a central gathering spot rather than housing. Many Oceanids made their own burrows somewhere nearby.

Though, a hunch reminded him there might be another reason it was so empty. He was too hungry to remember.

He headed towards the kitchens, hoping to find something that could satisfy this ache. He didn't expect to find Jupiter, sharpening her knives. A smile slipped over his lips. Slowly, he crept up on her.

Before he actually could embrace her from behind, she turned and pressed one of her newly sharpened knives to his throat.

"Hmm, you're psychic. You should know better than to sneak up on me," she said, huskily.

One tentacle pushed the knife away, while his hands wrapped around her waist. "My dear, I know you would never hurt me," he answered.

She rolled her eyes then kissed him. During the kiss, he used his tentacles to take the other knife from her and set it aside. Her embrace was almost satisfying that ache he felt until something cold passed through him. He broke the kiss.

Setting her hands around his neck, she leaned back and asked, "So, what brings you here?"

"Well, this is a kitchen. I was looking for something to eat," he answered, leaning in to nip at her neck.

"Something to eat does sound good," she said, nudging him away.

She bustled around the kitchen, opening cupboards to reveal small enclosures full of crabs and lobsters - traps that had been set on the exterior of the palace. As she grabbed bits and pieces of food, cracking various crustaceans, she continued the conversation.

"You know I always feed you," she said. "But, really, what brings you to the palace? It's unlike you to leave your reef."

Nephrite opened his mouth to answer, but it was as if a fog rolled over him. Why was he at the palace? There was someone looking to get here. When did _he_ get here? He blinked again. He came because he was hungry.

"Are you feeling alright? You don't look so good," she said while handing him a bowl.

He took it with one tentacle and answered, "I'm fine. Just hungry."

Another tentacle brought the bits of lobster, shrimp, and crab to his lips, while one hand rubbed his chin in thought. She nibbled on a shrimp as well.

The crab wasn't as good as he remembered it. What a shame. It was usually a favorite of his. Maybe it wasn't quite time for harvesting?

"Well, I hope this helps. Venus has summoned us this morning. We have to track down the Immortal since our beloved Princess set him free," Jupiter explained. She kissed Nephrite's cheek. "But you'll be around so maybe I'll see you later?"

Nephrite nodded. Immortal, now that sounded appetizing. When he looked up again, Jupiter was gone. He left the bowl of most uneaten crustations on the table. He needed to find the Stars. She would be able to tell him where the Immortal was, then maybe, he'd finally ease the hunger.


	8. Shadows and Ropes

**AN: I have been really bad about posting this on ff dot net. If you're enjoying this, it is available in its entirety on AO3, and hopefully will be a full voice cast audio recording sometime in December. If you're looking for this on AO3, you can search the title or try this url: **archiveofourown **dot** org/works/21312148

The kitchen didn't keep starfish, the prejudice bastards. So Jadeite, accompanied by his beautiful Mars, left the palace to find breakfast. Why such an important member of the court would grace him with her presence while he hunted like a low born in search of a meal was beyond him. Still, he was grateful. In the early dawn light, the pair strolled in search of formia seastars.

"Really, you should expand your taste horizons," Mars teased, swimming above him as he scuttled through the sand.

"Maybe you're the one with an unrefined pallet," Jadeite countered. "You do want to eat that immortal after all."

"You're the one that took the bite," she teased back as they rounded the bend into the gardens.

"And it was a terrible decision!"

"A terrible decision? To eat an immortal?" a strange voice commented.

Jadeite and Mars stopped to see an Oceanid sitting on a bench, the same bench Serenity had perched on when they'd brought Endymion. Unlike Serenity, she didn't have luscious fins. Instead, hers were haggard and torn as if by fin rot and fights. Yet, her face and hair were beautiful and unmarred. She watched them with red eyes and a glowing esca. Jadeite was grateful his exoskeleton hid his shiver.

Mars eyed the intruder suspiciously. Jadeite had to step away as he felt the water start to warm around the Guardian of Lava. He did not wish to become a barbeque Shrimpman.

"I imagine that an immortal must taste divine," she continued, swaying slowly. "That he must taste of the finest swordfish, or, perhaps, of things not yet tasted?"

"Not yet tasted?" Mars asked, her voice soft and lilting.

Jadeite was thinking about how lovely this odd Oceanid was. The glowing red lure had such a pretty rhythm to it.

"Yes. Maybe he tastes of a summer day or running through a field of wildflowers. Perhaps, he tastes of cinnamon and power and cinnamon. They taste, after all, of their experiences," she cooed. "A taste of a life you could never live. Don't you want that?"

Jadeite furrowed his brow. "He tasted like responsibility and bad flounder," he commented. "I don't think I want to live in the sand and have my eyes on the side of my head."

The strange Oceanid ignored him, focusing instead of Mars. Jadeite blinked. This broad was weird. She also seemed less appealing now that she was talking about eating Immortals. Though, he guessed not everyone could have as refined of a pallet as he did. Mars, however, looked enthralled.

Something was horribly wrong. Jadeite narrowed his eyes. The strange Oceanid's esca cast a red glow that coated them like algae. It was cold, suffocating, and engulfing like a terrible current. The glow dimmed until it was a shadow smothering them, cold and evil. Jadeite tried to bury himself into the sand, hoping to hide from the creeping darkness. Then, just as quickly as it swept over them, it was gone.

Jadeite looked around, sunlight chasing away the shadows. Blinking away the sudden change, he looked to Mars. She seemed stunned. Shadows clung to her and the strange Oceanid like a shroud.

"What, what are we doing here?" Mars asked.

"You were looking for something to eat," the strange Oceanid said. "Maybe you should check the palace."

Mars blinked blearily. "Yes, let's go back."

Jadeite nodded, eager to escape and no longer hungry. With a glance back over his shoulder at the Angler Fishwoman, they returned to the palace in silence.

XXX

On some level, Zoisite understood he was dreaming, though, it was unlike any dream he'd had before. It was like reliving a memory. In this dream, he was human and at a temple. Sunlight filtered through the columns. Boots against marble clicked as the Immortal paced back and forth. Beside Zoisite was another human with a dark-skinned with white hair who oddly resembled Kunzite.

"He's lying!" the Immortal yelled.

"Your majesty," Zoisite began. "You need to take a breath."

"We could stop this for good if he'd just stop protecting whoever this Guardian of Light is!" the Prince continued angrily, running a hand through his hair.

Zoisite squeezed the dark-hair man's shoulder reassuringly. "We have Kaildaria. We'll continue with the plan and bind Metalia in the arctic. We can't wait much longer."

"I just don't understand why Posiden would lie. After two oracles said that we could end this for real," the Immortal complained.

"The other Kings were not at the battle, my liege," the white-hair man said, placing a hand on the Immortal's other shoulder. "They do not understand that we only defeated the Darkness by chance."

"And prophecies are strange. They believe you are the Chosen. You also fit the description for the Guardian. Still, no matter what, we'll follow you to the ends of the Earth to make sure you succeed," Zoisite smirked at him. The dream faded suddenly.

He awoke to a loud pop, tangled up in the magical rope. His eyes were bleary and the room dimly lit. Mercury and Pluto were hunched over an old Oceanid ledger, and he assumed the pop had come from the bursting of a bubble.

After the Queen had left, Pluto had brought Mercury and Zoisite to the royal archive. Only the head librarian had a key to access it. Inside were sensitive documents, ledgers, and even the personal effects of previous monarchs. The Queen had instructed them to look into her father's journals, but monarchs lived an extraordinarily long time. There were hundreds of volumes. Where would they even start?

Zoisite started with a nap, which is how he ended up in his current situation.

"Oh good, you're awake," Mercury greeted.

"Good morning?" he ventured.

Pluto looked up a moment. "Hmmm. I supposed it is, though, the sun is not out yet."

Zoisite rubbed the sleep from his eyes then looked around the room. Several ledgers were opened and floating about in their bubbles. Other scrolls of Oceanid origin bobbed about unprotected as if they were in a snowglobe of texts. Mercury read from an old diary while Pluto held a quill in her hand, adding information to an already lengthy scroll.

"I'm assuming neither of you slept?" he continued.

The females didn't reply, and Zoisite shook his head. He began working on untangling himself from the rope. It had loosely knotted around him having been draped over him while he slept. Since he was rather malleable, he figured he could just slip the rope. However, as much as he tried, he felt as if the rope was glued to him. It refused to give away.

"Um," he started, "Can someone help me?"

Mercury sighed, handing the diary to Pluto then swimming over to help untangle him from his rope. Her fingers gently unraveled the knots as if she were a master lockpick. She focused intently on her work so absorbed she didn't even notice when he smiled charmingly at her.

"Your rope is very interesting," she said as she freed his arm. "I suspected it contained Orichalcum, and since that's so rare, Pluto and I used it as the starting point for our investigation."

"Atlantis carefully documents all uses of Orichalcum," Pluto explained. "We searched through the ledgers until we found an unusual instance. There was a large donation to the Kingdom of Elysion roughly 2,300 years ago."

"That's about the age of the shipwreck," chimed Zoisite.

Mercury smiled, pleased. "The transaction would have been when the Queen was very young. Which coincides with what she wanted us to investigate."

"What did you find?" Zoisite asked, his hands finally free. She handed him the rope and returned to her books, leaving him with the task of coiling the magic object.

"A great evil attempted to destroy the planet, and somehow, a human warrior, a Prince of Elysian, captured it," she said as she took the diary back from Pluto.

"Well, that's convenient," Zoisite said.

"Captured it temporarily," Pluto interjected. "The Prince called in help from every great power in the region to keep the evil restrained."

"A similar danger had been contained in Midgar," Mercury continued, "by forging a chain, Gleipnir, made from six impossible things. Elysian attempted something similar with a rope."

"Klaidaria."

Mercury and Pluto gave him an odd look at his answer. How _did_ he know the answer? The dream flickered in his mind's eye, and he decided to change the subject. Refocus. "So, would it be more valuable to break it into pieces then?"

Mercury's scowl answered that question.

"Posiden brought the Orichalcum during a convention of kings. In his journals, he mentions that the other materials gathered were Adamantine Chain, Silk of Arachae, Nemean Lion hyde, the bowstring of Eurytus, and Corinth's Golden Bridle," Pluto supplied.

"But, some of that stuff is legendary," Zoisite said. "I thought either made-up or lost to time."

Mercury shrugged. "Many artifacts of power are held close by royal families. The Queen's Silver Crystal, for instance."

"So, what was Klaidaira doing at the bottom of the ocean?" Zoisite asked.

"The last entry regarding Klaidaria reads like this: _It has been nearly half a cycle around the sun with no word from the Prince of Dreams or the Darkness. I can only assume that he was successful in his journey as I did everything in my power to provide a safe voyage and that the Darkness is sealed in the ice at the top of the world, bound by our strongest magics until the end of days. _However, there is a note in the margin that just says _The Black Sea_," Mercury read aloud.

"It never made it."

Zoisite held Klaidara up, watching the shimmer of its magic. "But if the rope is here, then it's not binding the evil."

"Indeed. The more answers we find, the more questions arise," Mercury stated.

"This is all too much on an empty stomach," Zoisite grumbled. "What are we doing for food?"

"You're not allowed to eat in here," Pluto answered automatically, a phrase she must say on a regular basis.

Mercury's eyes grew wide. "Oh, no," she whispered. "We have to stop them."

"Stop them from what?" Zoisite countered.

"From eating the only thing that can stop the Darkness."

XXX

Something was off about Mars, but Jadeite couldn't quite place his finger on it. Okay, maybe he could place his finger on it. It was clearly because of that strange Oceanid in the garden. It was as if Betta Oceanid were drunk or sleepwalking and weaving like a piece of kelp in a current. There was a shadow across her eyes he wasn't used to seeing, though, one did not comment on shadows around female's eyes. That would only lead to trouble.

But mostly, she was quiet. She didn't engage in their banter, even when his appetite returned and he realized he left the garden without even one starfish. His carelessness was prime reason for nagging. Instead, she just smiled and told him to go look for something in the kitchens.

It was all wrong.

When they finally returned to the Princess's solar, he was surprised to see Nephrite talking with Venus and Jupiter. If he thought something was wrong with Mars, then clearly Nephrite was one of the undead. That was the only explanation. His hair was faded; his skin wrong. His heart was beating irregularly. Surely, Venus could see that there was something incredibly fucking wrong with his friend?

"Nephy," Jadeite said, barging into whatever conversation the trio had been having. "Are you feeling okay? You don't have some strange star sickness, do you?"

"I'm fine," he answered. "Just... hungry."

"I can go fetch you something from the kitchens," Jadeite offered.

Jupiter furrowed her brow. "Are you sure you don't want any more crabs?"

"No," Nephrite interrupted. "I will be fine."

Jadeite gave Mars the side-eye, as if desperately trying to say, _You do see what's wrong with this bastard? _She didn't respond. He wasn't sure if that was deliberate, or if she didn't notice him. His eyes drifted over to the Princess, who was peering out from behind her sea fan doors. The Shrimpman gave her a weak smile.

"The first order of business today is to retrieve the Immortal from Kunzite," Venus started, her eyes grazing over each Oceanid present. She did not look pleased when she saw Jadeite. "He stole it away from our Princess."

Jadeite opened his mouth to correct her, but Venus's glare made him reconsider.

"The Queen is also still unaccounted for. I've sent some couriers to Atlantis to see if she spent the night there, but in the interim, I feel it wise to not leave the Princess unattended," the leader of the Guardians continued. "I need two volunteers to accompany in the retrieval, and two to stay behind. So, who's with me?"

"I am," both Mars and Nephrite answered in a strange voice. Really, was no one else disturbed by this? He glanced at the Princess. Her eyes pleaded with him. Godsdamnit. He couldn't let the two fucking weirdos go after Endymion.

"I should," Jadeite piped up.

Venus turned and glared at him. "And why should I let you go?"

Jadeite held up one finger. "First off, I was able to incapacitate the Immortal before."

In that moment, he was extremely grateful no one else had been there when Endymion's incapacitation wore off. He doubted he'd be able to convince them that he would be capable of restraining the Immortal again. So he went on to his next obvious truth.

"Secondly, I have no desire to eat him, which I can't say is true of those two." He pointed at Mars and Nephrite. "I mean, Nephy was just complaining of hunger pains."

Venus raised her eyebrow. With a sigh, she said, "Mars and Jadeite with me; Jupiter and Nephrite, keep your eyes on the Princess."

As everyone swam towards their duties, Jadeite glanced towards Serenity. She gave him a small smile, and he felt that tug of responsibility. Oh, dear gods, what had he gotten himself into?


	9. Prince on the Menu

Endymion had betrayed Kunzite. He'd left his sanctuary to gather some of the shark meat before it was gone. The thought of eating an actual meal for the first time in centuries was too great to resist.

The bulk of his wound on his shoulder was healed. His lungs were back to normal, and only small red pockmarks where the teeth had ripped into his flesh were left. He would still need to do recovery exercises to regain full strength in his biceps. Regeneration could heal not necessarily restore. Still, it was better than the alternative. His foot, on the other hand, was still returning. The shark battle had set that back a good deal. There was nothing exposed, and no bleeding to attract new attention. Still, it would take time for his magic to slowly piece the appendage back together. In the meantime, his swimming would be subpar.

However, just because he was leaving his haven, didn't mean he was going to be stupid about it. He crept through Caulerpa, using the vegetation from the sea bed as cover. The shark Kunzite had slain earlier marked the entrance of Serenity's Sanctuary like an enemy's head on a pike. Small schools of fish fluttered around the carcass like flies, taking small bites out of the flesh. It wouldn't be long before larger predators came to feast. He was just about dart out for his own meal, when he noticed a figure approaching. An Oceanid. He kept still and hoped that the seaweed masked him.

The Oceanid was hazy. It felt like looking into the distance on a hot day. Still, he recognized her. Pearly white like the clouds of a magic hour on a summer's eve, her fins moved about her like sails. She radiated light. _Serenity_.

He considered swimming to her, but, something wasn't right. Before, every atom of his being had called to her like a moth to a flame. Even though Kunzite had said that he didn't have to hide from her, some instinct gave him pause.

She inspected the carcass, meticulously and calculatingly as if trying to determine just who had slain the beast. After a moment, she looked past it and into the cave she'd viewed as her sanctuary. Her face was solemn as she pushed some debris scattered about the seafloor away. Was she looking for him? Was she upset her sanctuary had been compromised?

Then she called his name.

"Endymion?" her sweet voice cried. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

At that moment, he forgot that Kunzite was not with her. There was no way his reincarnated friend would have made it to the palace and returned. Though honestly, time wasn't something he could really measure anymore anyway.

So he gave himself away.

"Serenity," he called. He floundered out from the Caulerpa, kicking up sand and leaves. She was here. He was safe.

She turned to him, her head tilting. A smile spread across her face that wasn't right. Her eyes weren't quite the sky blue he remembered. The strange distortion around the Oceanid vanished, and her scales turned from moonlight white to sunrise golden. He realized his mistake as recognition dawned. She was part of Serenity's court, Venus, part of the faction that wanted to devour him.

"Well, that worked better than I expected," Venus said. She looked over to the cave and shook her head. "Kunzite was smart to hide you here."

He moved as quickly as he could, swimming like a broken toy. She watched him, amused, observing his flaws like a practiced tactician. He was sure she would have noticed that he couldn't use his left arm well, that his right foot was gone.

"I'm not sure I would have found you here," she continued. "Good thing Mars has such keen senses."

Escape wasn't an option; fighting back was his only reached out his good arm to summon the stone trident to him.

"She noticed all the fish swimming this way, and thought, hmm, what might lure so many hungry creatures."

A bang like a hammer in a forge drew his attention behind him. The red and purple Oceanid who'd lugged him around the day before floated behind a bubble zooming towards him. It hit his hand with blinding heat. He recoiled, and the trident veered off to the side.

Endymion looked at his hand; his skin was nearly completely seared off. The pain was incredible and the saltwater just added to the burn.

"It seems that Kunzite couldn't help himself to a taste after all," Mars teased, slowly swimming up to him. Bubbles poured off of her like a sword in a quench tub, but the distortion when past just heat. There was a shadow over her. Something turned her purple scales to nearly black; something that added an echo to her voice. Something that someone who hadn't spent centuries with the Darkness might miss.

A chill passed through him - the kind often described as someone walking over your grave. Had the Darkness gotten to the palace? To the Guardians? His reincarnated comrades? To Serenity?

The need to connect with the Earth overpowered him. His best chance at victory was if he could optimize his power. He made himself as needle-like as possible and dropped like a weight to the seafloor.

In a tactical error, he had forgotten about Venus. A beam of light sideswiped him, his ribs audibly cracking with the force. It knocked him into a rock formation near the cave entrance, right beside his previous impact from the shark fight. Bits of stone crumbled as he mused about how just couldn't find a break.

He struggled to see through the pain, so he focused instead on his psychometry, feeling out his situation. His foot finally touched the sand, and he could feel the power surging through him. If he could only have a moment, he could summon his powers. Slowly, Endymion reached out, searching for any he could use as a weapon. His finger trailed over something familiar. He wanted to laugh. The rock he'd carried from the sunken temple, the one he'd used against the sharks. He gripped it tight.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around his neck shoulders, and something pointed pressed to his throat.

"Act as if I've paralyzed you," Jadeite whispered in his ear. "I don't think we can take them without help, but I'll protect you."

Endymion tensed. His fingers tightened around his rock, yet, he did not act. Could it be that Jadeite was starting to feel something?

"Why help me?" he ventured.

"Something bigger is going on," the Shrimpman whispered. "Don't you see the change?"

A small smile crept at the corners of Endymion's mouth. Jadeite could _see _it. Two of his men, his friends, his kings, were at his side again. He couldn't take these Guardians on in the condition he was in, but if they returned him to the palace, he would have Kunzite and Serenity as reinforcements. He would need them if they were to face Metalia.

Endymion's answer came as he quietly slackened in Jadeite's arms, and he hoped his old friend would understand. The females slowly swam their way like lazy sharks. Shadows danced across Mars's face while determination steeled Venus's. There was no way he could reason with these monsters.

The red Guardian licked her lips as she approached. "I can't believe Kunzite would take a bite and not share," she lamented.

Venus glided until she was almost nose to nose with the Prince, close enough to bite. Perhaps, he could hit her with the rock and maybe get lucky. Was an Oceanid's temple like a human's, vulnerable to bludgeoning? Would he break the princess's heart if he succeeded in murdering one of her Court?

"Where is Kunzite?" Venus asked, her eyes darting over his new wounds, analyzing. "I don't see his corpse displayed, so I doubt you killed him."

"Perhaps, I ate him," Endymion retorted. He snapped his teeth at her.

"Unlikely," she said with a smirk, pulling away. "That shark is his handiwork. I'd recognize it anywhere."

As she moved away, Endymion squeezed his rock. It wouldn't take much magic to shape it into a weapon. Perhaps a harpoon that he could launch into her heart. Even "paralyzed," he wasn't going to drop his only potential weapon go. As much as his heart yearned to trust Jadeite, he was hesitant. The Shrimpman did eat his toe.

"Let's return to Serenity," Venus said.

Mars swam forward, arms outstretched to take the immobile Immortal from Jadeite.

"I can carry him," Jadeite offered.

"If you do, we'll barely make it back to the palace before nightfall," she countered. Without waiting, she grabbed Endymion from him.

The Prince and his new friend shared a look, a silent communication to keep the charade up. His fingered dug even more into the rock, but Endymion decided to trust the strange Oceanid. He continued to act immobile, even when the red Oceanid leaned in and sniffed his shoulder as if testing to see if a pot roast were done.

"Do you think the Princess would notice if there was one small bit missing?" Mars asked. "He smells so good…"

"Well, be prepared to be disappointed. He tastes awful," Jadeite retorted. "Really, we should just save him for the Princess."

"I suppose you may have one bite," Venus said with a small glance over her shoulder. "We'll chalk it up to the shark."

It took all his will to not squirm as the Oceanid's teeth sank in. However, he couldn't help the scream.


	10. The Carnage

Jupiter guarded the Princess's door like a grouper ready to smash anything disturbing her ward. Zoisite always kinda feared the big green Guardian of Storms. Mercury, however, did not. So she swam right up to her fellow Guardian.

"Have you seen the Queen?" she asked, the edge of panic in her voice.

Jupiter furrowed her brow. "No. Mars couldn't find her last night, and I haven't heard from her at all today. We figured she was probably in Atlantis or something."

Mercury pressed a knuckle to her lips. "The Princess in her rooms, yes?"

Jupiter nodded. "Is everything all right?" she asked, moving to the side to allow Mercury entrance.

Mercury didn't reply. Instead, she pushed the doors open into the antechamber. Her eyes went straight to Serenity, who was skulking around a chessboard near her window. The pieces were arranged in a fashion that had nothing to do with chess but seemed to tell the story of a star-crossed love affair between the white queen and the black knight. Zoisite glanced at the slate table in the center of the solar. He breathed a sigh of relief at the conspicuously absent pile of human bones. Maybe the Queen managed to reach them after all.

"Where is he?" Mercury asked.

Serenity quirked her head, eyes narrowing. Her hand clutched the black knight which contrasted her pearly scales perfectly.

"The Immortal," Zoisite clarified.

"Not here," Jupiter grumbled. "Our beloved princess gave him to Kunzite."

"Did Kunzite eat him?" Mercury asked frantically.

Serenity shrugged. "What does it matter?"

"Apparently a lot," Zoisite said. "Didn't your mother tell you everything?"

"My mother?" But whatever Serenity was going to say, was interrupted by the slamming of her chamber door.

Kunzite floated in looking rather bedraggled and holding a foot. Zoisite stomach dropped.

"My liege," Kunzite began. He didn't get to finish because Jupiter bowled him over.

"You gluttonous traitor!" she howled as she started to pummel him. "How could you have eaten him?"

"Jupiter! Leave him alone!" Serenity cried. "You don't understand…"

Kunzite was not fighting back. As terrifying and powerful as Jupiter was, Kunzite was probably the better warrior. Did the Fishman believe he deserved this punishment?

After the second punch, the foot was knocked from Kunzite's hand. It barrelled through the chamber like a macabre harpoon.

Zoisite watched the foot speed past before a tentacle snapped it from its trajectory. Like spilling ink, Nephrite emerged from the shadows. He looked terribly wrong, and Zoisite recoiled. The Octopusman was sallow and almost skeletal, a particularly eerie sight for an invertebrate Oceanid. Zoisite couldn't tell if it was ink or shadows clinging to him.

"Jupiter! I command you unhand him!" the princess hollered.

Zoisite wasn't watching the brawl. He was transfixed as Nephrite brought the foot up to his face, wafting it under his nose as if he was gauging a fine wine.

"The Immortal is not dead," Nephrite said, voice reverberating through the room.

Jupiter's fist stopped mid-punch, thought she'd pinned Kunzite down.

"I ate him," Kunzite replied. "I only saved this morsel for the princess."

Serenity looked sickened by that comment.

"He lies," Nephrite countered. "I can still smell life on the foot."

Yeah, that was definitely creepy. Everything was wrong; they needed to get out of here. Zoisite looked to see if he could find Mercury's eyes, but she was too absorbed in her own mission to understand what was happening. She even smiled at Nephrite's comment.

"That's excellent news then," she said. "Princess, we had hoped your mother had found you in time, but…"

"You saw my mother?" Serenity interrupted. "But Mars couldn't find her."

"We encountered her in Atlantis last night," Mercury continued. "She should have returned yesterday…"

"I ran into her at the Sunken Temple," Kunzite added. "She did not make it back to the palace?"

More pieces of the wrong puzzle were being jammed together. Zoisite swallowed hard, hoping that the horror they saw on their way to the palace didn't contain the Queen. Mercury glanced to him, not bothering to hide her fear.

"The Immortal," Zoisite said, continuing for Mercury, "Endymion. His destiny isn't complete. If we eat him, then the Darkness will destroy everything."

Kunzite pushed Jupiter off him with little resistance. "The Darkness is here?" he asked, glancing between Zoisite and Mercury.

"Darkness? What the hell are you talking about?" Jupiter said.

Well, Zoisite started to feel confident that at least Kunzite didn't eat the Immortal. His reaction to the mention of the Darkness was proof of that. Princess Serenity looked between Fishman and Mercury, hoping for answers on her mother. Nephrite floated there like a creepy spectre, holding a disembodied foot.

"There's something you need to see," Zoisite said. "And it's not going to be pretty."

XXX

Mercury insisted that the Princess be flanked as they swam towards the Sunken Temple. The Blue Oceanid took point with Jupiter to the Princess's right and Zoisite to her left. Kunzite's traitorous actions were momentarily forgotten as he took the rear with Nephrite. Something was off with the usually isolated Octopus Oceanid. Though, the circumstances didn't allow for time to investigate that more.

Kunzite had taken an alternate route to the palace from Serenity's Sanctuary, so that if he were followed or noticed, no one would suspect where Endymion was hidden. This meant he'd not traveled the path from the night before. He'd assumed the Queen had made it back to the palace safely. Only a fool places stock in assumptions.

Nausea filled his belly at just how peaceful the scene started. The current was slow, and no storms rocked the water above. The sun illuminated the sea in such an ideal way that the scene looked almost like a painting with the Sunken Temple on the horizon. It was why it was impossible to miss the first body. A few tail flips in and scenic view morphed into a terrifying, macabre landscape.

The first Oceanid was prone on the seafloor, her Tang scales faded periwinkle and yellow. Her mouth was open in a scream; her eyes the milky white of death. Most frighteningly, however, was the fact that her ribcage appeared to have been torn open. Her heart was missing. Small scavenger fish pecked at her bones.

Ripping Endymion's foot off the night before suddenly seemed innocuous by comparison.

"I know her," Jupiter said. "She works in the kitchens."

"Who could have done something so terrible?" Serenity whispered.

Mercury looked at Serenity sadly, then said, "There's more."

Just off the path was the massacre. Bodies much like the kitchen maid's had been tossed behind the kelpline like eggshells to a compost. Kunzite recognized some of the corpses as guards of the palace, maids, and various other miscellany of castle life. They were Oceanids he relegated to the background, ones he felt guilty that he hadn't even noticed were missing. Could this be the work of Metalia? A chill passed through his bones, and he knew the answer.

Serenity's yelp drew everyone's attention, eager for relief from the carnage. She buried her face into a surprised Zoisite who awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, patting her back.

"Did you see anything like this last night, Kunzite?" Mercury asked.

Kunzite shook his head. "We encountered the Queen, and she…"

"She what?" the Princess prodded.

"There was something else here," he continued. "The Queen lured it away so I could get Endymion to safety."

Serenity's eyes glanced to the temple. Then, without hesitation, she darted through an opening between Mercury and Zoisite.

They couldn't stop her. For all her lavish tails, the Royal Oceanid was quick. She was fast, smart, and strong, traits he easily forgot. He followed after her, leaving the slower Oceanids behind them.

She was searching. Her body trembled as she recognized every Oceanid she passed. She, of course, was probably the only one among them to have talked with every palace worker. Still, she was on a mission. She didn't have time to process the loss as she combed through the mass graveyard.

The corpses lessened as they approached the Sunken Temple, and Serenity's shoulder's sagged in relief.

"I don't see her," she said to herself.

Kunzite was about to allow himself that relief too until he noticed a glimmer coming from the collapsing alter. A form so pale she nearly blended in with the marble she rested on. Only the sun reflecting off her wrist had caught his attention. He looked at the princess with a sinking feeling in his gut. Slowly, he started towards the altar, the Princess following behind.

In her death, the Queen still held a majesty that was unrivaled. Her body was ghostly, the luster of her scales completely gone. Her tattered fins were draped over the stone like a film of seafoam. Her body was broken, tail bending in unnatural angles, though she'd been carefully and cruelly displayed on the alter. Her arm stretched over her head as if she were reaching for something when she died. Her other arm dangled off the alter, hand fisted around whatever had caught his eye.

Like the others, her chest had been pried open; her heart was gone. Unlike the others, it was especially brutal. Whoever killed her had relished in the murder.

However, her face was not caught in a scream. She wore a look of grim determination, the best _fuck you_ to whoever killed her. Her milky dead eyes still held defiance.

She had been a true queen to the bitter end.

"Mama?" Serenity whispered. She floated slowly down from above Kunzite's shoulder like an angel drifting towards a fallen soldier. The princess slowly reached out and touched her mother's cheek.

"No, no, no, no," she started babbling. Serenity pulled the Queen to her chest with a heart-wrenching keen.

The others finally caught up. Jupiter and Mercury rushed to the Princess's side, wrapping their arms around her and whispering comforts in her ear. Kunzite turned away from the private moment to see Zoisite and Nephrite approaching.

Zoisite had his arms wrapped around himself as he blobbed forward, his face grief-stricken. Nephrite, however, seemed unphased. There was a coldness to the Octopus Oceanid that seemed out of place. Kunzite furrowed his brow.

The Princess's moment seemed to linger on for an eternity. Though, Kunzite yielded there was no amount of time they could give her that would ever be enough. Still, the longer they left Endymion alone the more vulnerable he was to recapture or worse. The carnage around them a perpetual reminder of just what was at stake.

This had become so much more than what Kunzite had prepared for. He had expected to argue, to try to convince the guardians to restrain their appetites and to focus on a danger that might be greater. He hadn't expected the danger to already be here. The danger that had already murdered their best defense.

"Serenity," Jupiter said, delicately touching the Princess. "We have to get you somewhere safe."

"I'm not leaving Mama."

Mercury looked to Kunzite before asking, "Where is Endymion?"

He was not keen on revealing the Immortal's hiding place aloud. There were too many ears, and he was unsure just how many were actually listening.

"I'll show you," he agreed.

"Excellent," Nephrite said, a sinister smile creeping across this lips.

Jupiter's head cocked to the side, and she scowled at the Octopusman. "What does that mean?" she snapped.

The shadows on Nephrite's face shifted as he shook his head. "Nothing."

"No. It's _not_ nothing. What is _wrong_ with you?" Jupiter said swimming close to him. "You have swum through all these corpses as if you're sleeping. As if this meant nothing to you. And now, _your Queen_ has been murdered and all you care about is some Immortal?"

"I'm hungry, and she wouldn't share the hearts."

The fins on Kunzite's spine spiked; his jaw twitched. Zoisite swam backward as Mercury and Jupiter formed a line in front of Serenity.

The emerald Betta Oceanid's fins fanned open like a war flag. She was already larger than most of the others and cut an imposing figure as she cracked her neck. "Get Serenity out of here," she said, looking at Kunzite then back to Mercury.

Mercury nodded turning to wrap her arms around the Princess's waist. Kunzite moved away from the Nephrite as Jupiter closed in. At least, he thought to reach out and grab Zoisite.

"But Mama," Serenity started, her hands clutching her mother's corpse.

"There's no time Princess," Kunzite said with a sympathetic look at the royal Oceanid.

Trembling, she glanced at the dangers unfolding around her. Nephrite crept in as Jupiter became an obstacle. Serenity bit her lip as she steeled herself, then leaned in and kissed her mother's forehead. Slowly, she traced her fingers down her mother's arm, lifting it from it's dangling position.

She uncurled the dead Queen's fingers, prying the item that had initially attracted Kunzite's attention. "I promise, mother," she whispered as she worked, "that I will be the queen you've always wanted me to be."

Kunzite missed the moment that Nephrite and Jupiter collided, but their clash was unmistakable. Tentacles, fins, sand, sparks, and shadows.

"Go!" Jupiter screamed from the melee. "Get the Immortal. I'll keep him busy."

Kunzite hesitated. He wanted to stay, to help Jupiter restrain Nephrite. Yet, he knew he needed to get Serenity to Endymion. Somehow, together, they were the keys.

"Kunzite!" Zoisite called.

With one final glance at the battle unfolding, Kunzite lead the others away.

XXX

Between the sunlight and sand, pink-tipped fins moved like a matador's cape while shadowy tentacles struck like vice grips. Jupiter was a force to be reckoned, but so was Nephrite. If she were being honest with herself, she would rather have gone head to head with nearly anyone else. Yet, she had a duty. She would protect her Princess and put her faith that the others would figure this out.

"Nephrite," Jupiter said as she dodged one of his tentacles and wrapping it in her fins to reduce its motion, "this isn't like you."

Another swish of her fins across his face to blind him, and she went low with an electric shock. He dodged. Using her another fin, she batted a broken piece of coral away and grabbed another tentacle coming for her. Her fins ached, and she knew there were several tears. Still, she wasn't going to give up on him.

"You have to snap out of it!"

Where was the Oceanid she knew? The one who gazed longingly at the stars? Who kissed her in the rain in the eye of a storm?

Her hesitation gave him an opportunity, and she felt his teeth sink into her shoulder. She howled and poured her power into him.

Darkness surrounded them. Ink. At least, she assumed it was ink, a natural defense meant to blind an opponent and give time to escape. She gripped Nephrite tighter.

A white hand sliced through the black. The pearly scales caught her off guard as they ripped her from the Octopusman.

The hand pulled her back with a surprising force. As the ink cleared, the Oceanid became visible. The dead Queen's head lolled to the side, something eerily stiff and rigid about her. What Jupiter thought was octopus ink was slowly being sucked into the dead queen's open ribcage, knitting it together as it went.

Red eyes burned into Jupiter as a voice that was so clearly not the Queen's came out of the corpse's throat. "Tsk, tsk, Nephrite. Can't even handle one little Oceanid?"

"She is a Guardian," he prompted, "very powerful."

The Monster in the Dead Queen's eyes glowed, pulsing scarlet. "Powerful you say? Well, then, that's a different story."

Whatever dark magic was at play was trying to seduce her, but she wouldn't let it. Jupiter summoned as much lighting to her wrists as she could. She knew she needed to blast this demon as soon as possible.

But she never got the chance.

Something hit her in the back of the head, and as her vision doubled and she looked around, she saw Nephrite holding a large rock. Then, the darkness spilled out of the Monster Queen's chest, and everything went black.


End file.
